tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34749223433206336842024-03-17T23:03:32.210-04:00Shade's BlogShade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-88140650763160321652016-02-02T02:50:00.001-05:002016-02-02T02:50:41.020-05:00Blog moving!<div data-select-like-a-boss="1">
Blog is moving over to <a href="http://blog.shadenexus.com/">http://blog.shadenexus.com</a>. Not all the posts from here will be transferred over, but from now on that's where I'll be!</div>
Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-83756472110185451212015-08-08T16:19:00.000-04:002015-08-08T16:19:46.755-04:00Styling Waterfox for Windows 10Shortly after upgrading to Windows 10, I tried out Edge and found it... nice? It does a lot of things nice, and it's really fast, but I was missing a ton of the features from Waterfox. So I went back and decided to look around to see if there was anything that could maybe integrate the browser a bit better with Windows. One of the things I love about 10 over 8 is that they finally have integrated the notifications system with the standard taskbar tooltips, and pretty much all notifications. Thankfully I found there's some things that can help me out here, and right now my version of Waterfox is looking very modern and spiffy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KnMKssff7SRQaIZC-k6Ee4CTNIUO06Awdhfp4HVrTzrdLjGXdQgMAJnTz2Bp6t2_A3xrWNhxix3WYLYLdjRN-sIyoiZd9E2kiIgSXIdc56RW5e78XRFD3cN2PPE-MXApFWc2ynRDK-A/s1600/firefox+win+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KnMKssff7SRQaIZC-k6Ee4CTNIUO06Awdhfp4HVrTzrdLjGXdQgMAJnTz2Bp6t2_A3xrWNhxix3WYLYLdjRN-sIyoiZd9E2kiIgSXIdc56RW5e78XRFD3cN2PPE-MXApFWc2ynRDK-A/s640/firefox+win+10.png" width="640" /></a></div>So there's two sets of things you'll need if you want to get your Firefox-derivative looking like a proper windows app. First, you'll need <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/collections/ShadeJackrabbit/wind/">this list of extensions</a>. Second, you'll need to write a user-style that looks something like this:<br />
<br />
<pre><code>
#navigator-toolbox {
background-color: transparent;
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
#browser-panel {
margin: 0px -1px -1px -1px;
}
#titlebar-content {
background-color: white;
margin-left: 0px;
margin-top: 1px;
margin-right: 1px;
}
#TabsToolbar {
background-color: white;
margin-top: 0px !important;
}
#toolbar-menubar {
background-color: white;
}
</code></pre><br />
After that, you should be good, just might need some tweaking. But this is just me, you may like it looking another way. So go ahead, explore, and try new things!Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-29800911381306722432015-07-20T12:36:00.000-04:002015-07-20T12:36:40.369-04:00Book publication!Today is the 20th, and you know what that means? Yes! My book, Conundrum: The Three Ghosts of the Old Inn, is officially >>ready for purchase<<‼ Everyone get out your balloons and party hats, (and possibly your wallets) because this long journey is finally reaching an end!<br />
<br />
Wait, did I say 'reaching'? Well, yes, I did! And you know why? Because I have another announcement relating to my book: The eBook will be out on the 30th! Due to production costs, the print copy is only in black and white, but if you want the full-colour eBook edition, ready to read on your tablet, then you can pick that up in ten days!<br />
<br />
<div data-select-like-a-boss="1">
But if you want a nice classical book that you can carry with you and read on the bus, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/GregoryPMarchant">come pick it up here</a>.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
Now that the obligatory social media post is out of the way, I'm sure many of you are wondering if posting here means I'm going to re-active my blog. Honestly? I don't know. My writing has been focussed more on books as of late. I think, though, that writing is a pretty core part of me, so perhaps it shall come back to this venue as well. Who knows! But regardless, thanks for coming on the ride, and more will be on its way.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-72433541008238294182015-07-07T01:57:00.002-04:002015-07-07T01:59:03.591-04:00Some Good Documentaries<h1>
Good Documentaries</h1>
Here's a list of documentaries I really enjoyed, that I thought were a worthwhile watch.<br />
<h3>
Found on Netflix</h3>
<ul>
<li><b>Blackfish</b> - Follows the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales</li>
<li><b>Craigslist Joe</b> - One guy leaves everything behind to see if he can survive solely on the support and goodwill of the 21st century's new town square: Craigslist</li>
<li><b>Hot Coffee</b> - How the infamous McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit and similar cases were exploited as part of a crusade to weaken civil justice</li>
<li><b>Inside Job</b> - Takes a closer look at what brought about the financial meltdown</li>
<li><b>Harmontown</b> - Follows Dan Harmon on tour for his podcast series after he was fired from Community in 2012</li>
<li><b>DamNation</b> - Explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers</li>
<li><b>Breaking the Taboo</b> - Uncovers the failure of the UN sanctioned war on drugs</li>
<li><b>The Paw Project</b> - This is a story of one veterinarian's battle to protect her patients (tigers, lions and even house cats) from big corporations</li>
<li><b>We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks</b> - Details the creation of Julian Assange's controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history</li>
<li><b>Downloaded</b> - Explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large</li>
<li><b>Inequality for All</b> - Follows former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich as he looks to raise awareness of the country's widening economic gap.</li>
<li><b>Pink Ribbons, Inc.</b> - Shows how the devastating reality of breast cancer, which marketing experts have labeled a "dream cause," becomes obfuscated by a shiny, pink story of success</li>
<li><b>Burt's Buzz</b> - A look at the world of Burt Shavitz, the face and co-founder of Burt's Bees</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Last seen on DVD</h3>
<ul>
<li><b>Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room</b> - About the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall</li>
<li><b>Exit Through the Gift Shop</b> - The story of how an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur film maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Stuff on YouTube</h3>
<ul>
<li>[VIDEO] <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-SL4ejpP94&index=16&list=FL5qyErySIuk_MROnQ0zqWPQ">Internet Story</a></b> - How a simple scavenger hunt on the internet results in tragedy, and is utterly forgotten in the stream of noise.</li>
<li><br />
[CHANNEL] <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C_jShtL725hvbm1arSV9w">CGP Grey</a></b> - A former teacher who makes videos explaining how various systems work<br />
<ul>
<li><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XOZJkozfI">Politics in the Animal Kingdom: Single Transferable Vote</a></b> - An explanation of a system of voting that provides much greater proportional representation than First Past the Post (the current system used in Canada, the UK, and The United States)</li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMkYlIA7mgw">Canada & The United States: Bizarre Borders Part 2</a></b> - An explanation of the clear border between these two countries, or more accurately, the twisted insanity that sometimes occurs along the border</li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF8I_r9XT7A">How to Become Pope</a></b> - Walks you through the lengthly process of papal selection in the Catholic church</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>[CHANNEL] <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn8zNIfYAQNdrFRrr8oibKw">VICE</a></b> - A news network that frequently produces short documentaries on fringe elements of societies</li>
</ul>
Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-67520583526459260782015-05-15T16:06:00.001-04:002015-07-07T01:58:54.738-04:00Some YouTube Makers That I Like<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNKcMBYP_-18FLgk4BYGtfw">Man at Arms: Reforged</a> - Make cool weapons from fandom</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp68_FLety0O-n9QU6phsgw">Colin Furze</a> - A crazy brit who loves blowing things up</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/msadaghd/featured">Mehdi Sadaghhdar</a> - A Canadian-Indian electrician with a high pain tolerance. He makes mistakes in his builds so <em>you</em> won’t.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3_VCOJMaivgcGqPCTePLBA">Frank Howarth</a> - Woodworking, occasionally gets help from his sweet children, often does stop-motion animation of his workshop coming to life.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiEk4xHBbz0hZNIBBpowdYQ">Jimmy Diresta</a> - A legendary craftsman who works with wood, metal, glass, and pretty much whatever he can get his hands on. Half of his videos get uploaded on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtY6O8Ahw2cz05PS2GhUbg">Make’s channel</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCckETVOT59aYw80B36aP9vw">Matthias Wandel</a> - A canadian woodworker who builds incredibly complex and sturdy projects out of wood. Builds a lot of his own shop tools.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoCEoPxruw9HW58O-l3ttDQ">pocket83</a> - Has a bit of an attitude and uploads infrequently, but makes really neat puzzles and trick toys.</li>
</ul>Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-13081570811019547482015-04-14T20:30:00.000-04:002015-07-07T01:54:39.158-04:00Sony Companies on Google PlayThis is just an interesting exercise to look at what products are made by Sony, but are listed under different children.<br />
<ul>
<li>
Sony Corporation<br />
<ul>
<li>Seems to mostly be legacy apps and device-specific apps</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sony Mobile Communication</li>
<li>PlayStation Mobile Inc.</li>
<li>
Sony Insider<br />
<ul>
<li>Has only one app: Sony Insider</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Sony Music Entertainment<br />
<ul>
<li>Apps for fans of bands</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Sony Entertainment Network<br />
<ul>
<li>Used to have Music Unlimited, but that’s been gutted in favour of Spotify on Sony devices. Now just holds Video Unlimited and Account Manager.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Sony Digital Entertainment Services Inc.<br />
<ul>
<li>Seems to be dedicated to the east-asian market</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Sony Digital Network Applications, Inc.<br />
<ul>
<li>Picture and video editing apps that seem to all use the same UI - an application suite, in essence.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
After seeing so many weird Google Play listings, this began to make me wonder whether they had additional companies without Sony in their name. This would require some research on Wikipedia for subsidiaries.<br />
Surprisingly, their major non-branded subsidiaries are just various movie and music companies. The only relevant app is a pretty huge streaming service, listed as being developed by itself.<br />
<ul>
<li>
Crackle<br />
<ul>
<li>Stream movies and TV at the price of watching ads.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Ultimately I suppose all I could request would be a feature to allow developers on Google Play to list themselves as subsidiaries. It would allow some interesting transparency, but in all fairness, none of this data is really being hidden. This took me only a little time, and I discovered a couple cool apps in the process.<br />
Perhaps I shall investigate other megacorporations soon.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-29266600014087928742015-01-05T18:28:00.001-05:002015-04-14T20:31:35.811-04:00Stumbleupon and a Wasteful Internet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
While attempting to browse Stumbleupon last night, I found it frustrating how completely inept it was at delivering meaningful content. And that's when it hit me that I should probably check how badly this problem was. So I decided to analyze my home page and see how much of what it recommended was worthless. Below is an annotated screenshot.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXsIE56Ik0IpQEPCr1oXs2RV0a4-yXXpINfelGoyuNlIXefDDToNNs5MuGA9IRpGzFLsRy17qXhnau-7KgTUeokiLI4Ah8rMMZoNwAmG3S9xwzrZPQCEb0Hx_Zq6CJh6BJF3yhKBHx8A/s1600/stumbledumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXsIE56Ik0IpQEPCr1oXs2RV0a4-yXXpINfelGoyuNlIXefDDToNNs5MuGA9IRpGzFLsRy17qXhnau-7KgTUeokiLI4Ah8rMMZoNwAmG3S9xwzrZPQCEb0Hx_Zq6CJh6BJF3yhKBHx8A/s1600/stumbledumb.png" /></a></div>
As you can see, there's a lot of garbage. Most annoyingly, lists. Internet lists are a horrible thing for a multitude of reasons, most of all that they're basically sensory popcorn. Their entire purpose is to give you a trivia-like knowledge of things that seem immediately interesting; upon closer inspection most of them are pointless or boring, though.<br />
<br />
I really wish there was a way to filter for lists, so perhaps I'll make a userscript for doing so. Lists are really a huge waste of space, and in general just make the internet a worse place. Maybe it's about time one of us did something to eradicate them.
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-jnW7cCk0_kY%2FVKsc0Jdb5dI%2FAAAAAAAABHY%2FR6L2JjgZDa8%2Fs1600%2Fstumbledumb.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXsIE56Ik0IpQEPCr1oXs2RV0a4-yXXpINfelGoyuNlIXefDDToNNs5MuGA9IRpGzFLsRy17qXhnau-7KgTUeokiLI4Ah8rMMZoNwAmG3S9xwzrZPQCEb0Hx_Zq6CJh6BJF3yhKBHx8A/s1600/stumbledumb.png" -->Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-5040330676041460362014-10-27T15:15:00.001-04:002014-12-06T23:50:35.324-05:00Further Classification: Casual Genres<h3>
Launcher</h3>
A game in which you start in one position and move linearly in a direction (or towards a goal) while some amount of stats consistently drain. (e.g. Fuel for a rocket.)<br />
<b>Examples:</b> Burrito Bison, Learn to Fly, Kitty Cannon<br />
<b>Easily Paired With:</b> Incremental, Platformer, Racing<br />
<b>Favorite Example:</b> <a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kongregate.com%2Fgames%2Fjuicybeast%2Fburrito-bison-revenge&ei=OJhOVMCTCaTfsATmh4G4Cw&usg=AFQjCNE1lDlsavaKejpZJ4oVF3M2yLmbAg&sig2=AB6fbHQHJk4Wqr9rxjxPEA&bvm=bv.77880786,d.cWc">Burrito Bison Revenge</a><br />
<br />
<h3>
Incremental</h3>
<div>
A game which focuses on increasing a value via extremely simple activity. (Clicking, waiting, moving the mouse.)</div>
<div>
<b>Examples:</b> Cookie Clicker, Clicker Heroes, <a href="https://swarmsim.github.io/#/">Swarm Simulator</a></div>
<div>
<b>Easily Paired With:</b> Launcher, Sim</div>
<div>
<b>Favorite Example:</b> Clicker Heroes</div>
Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-27582096015588436952014-10-14T13:18:00.000-04:002014-10-14T13:19:17.803-04:00Further Classification: Roguelites?<i>And once again, we come to my examination of game genres and classification. This time, I have a brief opinion on the term "roguelite".</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Roguelite is a weird term. It seems to be taking "roguelike" meaning "like the game Rogue" but then appending "lite" onto it, like "lite butter", meaning "barely even butter". I don't really get the point in doing this, however.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>See, the issue I have with this term is that it doesn't explain much about the game. In fact, it does the opposite - it makes the game's classification harder to understand. A game being "like rogue, but barely" doesn't describe a game at all. Rogue was very unique, yes. But that doesn't mean that any single feature from it is unique.<br />
<br />
I've seen "roguelite" used to describe dungeon crawlers. The Binding of Isaac is often labelled as a "roguelite" because it contains dungeon crawling and procedural generation. However the former, when coupled with item usage and visual style, is much more reminiscent of Zelda. Hence why I personally have classified it as a Zeldalike. The procedural generation certainly does add replayability, but I don't think that's a unique feature of roguelikes.<br />
<br />
Perhaps this is the issue. Procedural generation is only really overt in roguelikes. Each time you play, things are different, and that is a very obvious feature. But is it really fair to label procedural generation as a more important feature than gameplay? And the nature of the procedural generation matters a ton too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/ftl-faster-than-light/thumb/a/a5/Beacon_Map.jpg/468px-Beacon_Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/ftl-faster-than-light/thumb/a/a5/Beacon_Map.jpg/468px-Beacon_Map.jpg" height="310" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
For example, FTL uses a lot of procedural generation, for sector layouts and encounters. Sometimes people label it as a "roguelite", but I've often seen others quickly correct them. And that's very fair. It's much more accurately a strategy game, a mixture of squad-based and simulation. There's no gameplay features reminiscent of Rogue, but it certainly uses procedural generation. This still isn't enough to label it 'roguelite' though.<br />
<br />
Random generation is actually extremely common. Ever boot up a random map on Sid Meier's Civillization V or Age of Empires II? Those use random generation. The difference between "random" and "procedural" generation is in when the generation occurs. Procedural generation creates things as they are needed. So Civ V and AoE II are just using random generation. FTL uses a bit of both. It randomly generates each map, but it procedurally generates each encounter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.148apps.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/chron_xcom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.148apps.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/chron_xcom.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Speaking of procedural generation, X-Com makes each site procedurally. The original, at least. The new version seems to have several maps which vary slightly from encounter to encounter, but it's not nearly as varied as the original. X-Com is very well-understood as a squad-based tactical strategy game. I don't think anyone would call it a roguelike, let alone a rogue'lite'. However it definitely shares the same sort of similarities that FTL does.<br />
<br />
So why do some people confuse FTL with roguelikes, and yet don't confuse X-Com? Largely it's context of when it was made. Roguelikes are popular right now, and people are almost adopting them as a normal genre. So a lot of things are getting shooed into the genre.<br />
<br />
It's rather like how people confused Portal for an FPS when shooting wasn't even the central gameplay method.<br />
<br />
Whatever happened to Action-RPGs? Or simply acknowledging procedural generation as a technique, instead of a gameplay element? After all, it doesn't need to be. But, perhaps this gets back to the issue of mechanics vs. elements: <b>Just cause it's a big feature of the game doesn't mean it's a core concept.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
And that's why I think roguelites don't exist. Because every roguelite is better described as something else.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-76471060339714665042014-10-08T21:46:00.001-04:002014-10-14T13:19:04.032-04:00Further Classification: My Steam organization<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIm11x_vBrhkoFl5GtoWfP_lJH12G_6-1BEpCd1WtdRYOH8QcPEuYfTnuwCsglCfNwagfBM51ZHPMyEow6AZLsoLJp_aqRvjt-u7GB6rtAOOBkrgb-ixViBGtSMl5gGUV3QzDV7cdmZk0/s1600/steamlist.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIm11x_vBrhkoFl5GtoWfP_lJH12G_6-1BEpCd1WtdRYOH8QcPEuYfTnuwCsglCfNwagfBM51ZHPMyEow6AZLsoLJp_aqRvjt-u7GB6rtAOOBkrgb-ixViBGtSMl5gGUV3QzDV7cdmZk0/s1600/steamlist.png" height="400" width="125" /></a><i>Further classification seems to be an ongoing series about how I mentally, digitally, and physically organize games. In this installment, I talk about Steam.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<br />
This is my Steam games list. You can't see the games, because it's minimized. When expanded, you can't fit it all on one screen. This is because I have, quite simply, far too many games. Many of the games are currently hidden, because I didn't like them or care about them. At the bottom are "Games" which is shorthand for "Haven't Even Touched Yet."<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>There are several ways that I organize games, but mechanical genre is the most important to me. Of course, Steam has a flat-level hierarchy (coincidentally like Valve's) so all you can do is use tricks in Steam's string organization to sort things.<br />
<br />
So, I use the #Hash symbol to define thematic genres. I'm not particularily interested in games based on their themes, with exception for extremely thick pulp like Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction. Which is why I have a category listing for each of them.<br />
<br />
Below that I have some selectors, basically, tags about the status of a game. At the moment, simply it being unbeaten. Here is the first instance of me using a /ForwardSlash to define a sub-category. Again, categories have to be flat-level, but that doesn't mean I can't have associated categories. Thus subcategories get associated with their higher category. In this case, "Play With Mandy" refers to the fact that a game is meant to be played with my wife.<br />
<br />
And then we move onto the mechanical genres themselves. Pretty much stuff we've talked about before, nothing to really refer to there.<br />
<br />
I don't organize by difficulty, but if I did, I would probably use a !Bang because that seems suitably important. Maybe a number surrounded by bangs so that it organizes the difficulties in order. !1! Common, !2! Normal, !3! Hardcore, !4! Master, !5! Cruelcore. Something like that.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-9936861805165795852014-10-07T19:43:00.001-04:002014-10-14T13:19:26.946-04:00Further Classification: Thematic vs Mechanical Genre<i>Further classification seems to be an ongoing series about how I mentally, digitally, and physically organize games. In this installment, I talk the differences between themes and mechanics when talking about game genres.</i><br />
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I'm gonna try to quickly summarize something that I think we all understand, but maybe never really consider. The difference between a game's dynamics and its themes. A game's mechanical genre is what we generally talk about: Shooter, Platformer, Puzzle, etc. A game's thematic genre is a little more rare/undiscussed. Things like horror, science fiction, and fantasy are all pulp genres of fiction, and they can apply to games too.<br />
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It's pretty easy to apply them too. Though, it's important to remember that these are themes, not just settings. Deus Ex: Human Revolution, is very clearly a science fiction, as it deals with the potentials that science has to offer. Star Wars: The Old Republic, is thematically more similar to fantasy or adventure, as the actual repercussions of scientific development are not really explored.<br />
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There has often been discussion of horror being classified as either "survival horror" or "action horror", and about how this is some sort of problem. This "infographic" is one of the most famous examples of riling people up for the sake of cheap jabs.<br />
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It's on to something, but it's also very obviously biased. It's labelling all the stuff on the left as "actually scary, worthwhile" and everything on the right as "cheap, imitation". It surprisingly touches on a very interesting point while attempting to make this jab. Simply that, all of this is horror, thematically. The differences here are mechanical, and because of that, your mileage may vary. Some might find that the action is not empowering, but panic-inducing, and may find games such as Clock Tower or Alone in the Dark too slow and methodical. Likewise, it's evident that many find the action elements and feeling of control undermines their ability to feel scared.</div>
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Confusing thematic and mechanical elements is rather common when analyzing game design. Well, confusing the domain of elements, in general, is something that confuses many. Why, for example, the "first person" part of FPS isn't actually as important as the "shooter", is a topic that has confused many. We see terms like "first-person puzzler" thrown around for games like Portal, which is cute, but quite distracting. It's an Adventure game through-and-through, but then we're often dealing with the problem that people think Adventure is equated to Indiana Jones and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. And they're right, thematically. Just not, mechanically. </div>
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This is why action-adventure is such a frustratingly generic term. It encapsulates all those games like Jak 2 and Tomb Raider that we're not really sure where to put. People get confused, trying to piece the action elements and the Adventure elements together. In my opinion, the hyphen is simply in the wrong place.</div>
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<a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hyphen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hyphen.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's easy to read "action-adventure game" as "action adventure-game", which is completely misleading. After all, we're generally not (though sometimes we are) dealing with games about environmental interaction that have a theme about action. Which is why, personally, I prefer to write "adventure action-game". Games like Uncharted are <i>all about the action. </i>Remember in game design, it's <b>do, then show, then tell</b>. Similarily, I would say that when describing a game, genre order is best listed in <b>mechanic, then thematic, then setting.*</b> Uncharted has tons of themes about adventure, as does Tomb Raider, however they mechanically are all about immersing you in action scenes.</div>
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And returning to our age-old-nemesis, survival horror: Horror survivor, Horror action, Horror Adventure , Horror RPG... all easier to read, yeah? You instantly know what you're dealing with, mechanically and thematically.</div>
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* Okay, time for an english language quirk. It'll be written in the opposite order. This is because the last descriptor will have the most weight. {game} <game>is a [setting] [theme] [mechanic] . So, for example, <u>Fallout 3</u> is a <u>post-apocalyptic</u> <u>satirical</u> <u>role-playing-shooter</u>.</game></div>
Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-44825526771723731102014-10-06T16:20:00.001-04:002014-10-14T13:19:49.045-04:00Further Classification: Game difficulty levels<i>Further classification seems to be an ongoing series about how I mentally, digitally, and physically organize games. In this installment, I just list some game difficulties.</i><br />
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<h3>
Casual</h3>
Games that require litttle-to-no pre-knowledge of gameplay, easily played by new gamers and old gamers.<br />
<b>Examples</b>: Bejeweled, Peggle, Super Mario Bros, I Spy: Haunted Mansion, Animal Crossing<br />
<b>Easily Paired With</b>: Hidden object games, Puzzles, Adventure Games, "Secret Box"<br />
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<h3>
Common/Regular</h3>
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Games that will be difficult to play if you don't play often, but become a lot easier once you get into them.</div>
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<b>Examples</b>: Halo, Call of Duty, Pokemon</div>
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<b>Easily Paired With</b>: Most simple genres</div>
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<h3>
Hardcore</h3>
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Games that require knowledge of the genre or a long history of playing games to be good at. Very hard to newcomers. Interesting to note that some Common games can have Hardcore presences when played online, much like how you can play Chess on a casual or master level.</div>
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<b>Examples</b>: Resident Evil 5, Borderlands 2</div>
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<b>Easily Paired With</b>: Most complex genres</div>
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Master</h3>
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Games that require a lot of time to be good at. Even if you're used to playing hardcore games, you will need much time and patience to be good at this.</div>
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<b>Examples</b>: Nethack, The Binding of Isaac, Civillization 5</div>
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<b>Easily Paired With</b>: Strategy games, Roguelikes, Simulations</div>
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<h3>
Cruelcore</h3>
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Games that at first appearance look hardcore, but soon prove themselves to be comparable to Master-difficulty games. Of importance is that failure here is expected, and often encouraged. It does not simply take time and luck to get good at; you require an insane amount of skill, and may simply be the wrong person to play this game.</div>
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<b>Examples</b>: Super Meat Boy, Dark Souls, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, I Wanna Be The Guy</div>
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<b>Easily Paired With</b>: Platformers, Fighters</div>
Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-74359900071703408432014-10-05T14:48:00.003-04:002014-10-14T13:20:01.045-04:00Further Classification: Some game genre definitions that I use<i>Further classification seems to be an ongoing series about how I mentally, digitally, and physically organize games. In this installment, I talk about some game genre titles that I find really interesting.</i><br />
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Crafter</h3>
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A game in which the creation of items and structures is a primary gameplay motivation.</div>
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<b>Easily combined with:</b> Platformers, Adventure Games, Simulations</div>
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<b>Primary Examples:</b> Minecraft, Terraria<br />
<b>Personal Favorite:</b> Terraria<br />
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<h3>
Zeldalike</h3>
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A subgenre of RPGs that diverged around the same type as roguelikes. Most frequently seen in The Legend of Zelda, the origin series of the term, but also in several other games. Key features are real-time gameplay, top-down perspective, segmented world (only one room displayed at a time), and dungeons with a big boss at the end.</div>
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<b>Easily combined with:</b> Roguelikes</div>
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<b>Primary Examples:</b> The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, The Binding of Isaac<br />
<b>Personal Favorite:</b> Link's Awakening<br />
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'Secret Box'</h3>
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As defined in <a href="http://www.electrondance.com/screw-your-walking-simulators/">this blog post</a>: </div>
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A secret box is a game which is built around some form of content and challenge is trivial or absent. The emphasis is on conveying moments or ideas to the player rather than testing the player's abilities.</blockquote>
<b>Easily combined with:</b> Adventure Games, Puzzles<br />
<b>Primary Examples:</b> Grow, Proteus, Dear Esther, Windosill<br />
<b>Personal Favorite:</b> Dear EstherShade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-64893004864502279852014-05-19T20:13:00.003-04:002014-05-19T20:13:45.090-04:00[Announcement from the void...]To find out what's been going on with me: <a href="http://shadenexus.com/Journal/may.html">Read here.</a>Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-42045309759775608872014-01-13T19:26:00.000-05:002014-01-13T19:26:08.626-05:00Games Played in 2013, a Year In Review<i>My blog has been mostly empty as of late, pretty much because I've been exhausted trying to find ways to keep myself busy and productive. I thought I'd put together a post talking about a lot of the memorable games I've <b>experienced</b> this year. Note that this won't be a completely exhaustive list, as there is a lot of stuff that I may not remember fully, and I have actually done a fair bit this year. Some things that I've just started, but not finished, are not included, mostly cause my thoughts on them don't feel complete. Others are, because 'why not'. Also, <b>some</b> (many?) <b>of these games came out before this year.</b> I don't care.<br />
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Some of these things could certainly be extended into full analysis, though at the moment I'm not really in the mood to do so. However if you'd really like to see my full thoughts on something here, please leave a comment letting me know, or tell me in person.</i><br />
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I've played a fair amount of games this year. It's interesting to think that, because although I've been limited in finances, and busy with several things, I've still found time to play a lot of different games. One of the things that makes it easier for me is that I don't have a desire to complete games entirely. Most games, I get maybe 50% through before I feel I've gotten everything out of the experience. Some, I don't even make that far.<br />
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So, what were the most memorable games? Well...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Hypercube of Non-Euclidian Achievement:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Antichamber</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://antichamber-game.com/press/Antichamber/images/Antichamber02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://antichamber-game.com/press/Antichamber/images/Antichamber02.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh man. This one was quite an interesting ride. The whole game is a puzzle game, no real story, but using a lot of spatial perception as the core mechanic. The key to this one is understanding its internal logic, and what's really interesting here is how consistent it all is. The more you play, the more you understand how it all works. There's a bit of a quantum theme going on, with perception mattering to the existence of objects. So if you look at a path while going down it, you end up in one place, but if you look away while travelling, you end up in another.<br />
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It's the sense of internal consistency which really is important here. The game has a map with waypoints that lets you travel around, and it uses a 2d projection of the 3d space to help you out. Some people have called the game 4d, which I suppose isn't totally inaccurate in some parts, but I prefer to look at it as non-euclidian quantum 3d. Yeah, I just made that definition up (I think?) but it fits to me.<br />
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Don't be mistaken by my postulation into thinking this is some hard sci-fi romp. If anything, it's a pensive meditation on reality. Existentialism if anything. All throughout the game, you are given hints of what to do by little wall panels with simple pictographs and fortune-cookie sayings. The interesting bit is how these are all extremely helpful, and also make you wonder about their statements. In real life, it can be hard to see why choosing the direction to walk can matter, but when extrapolated into this space, it becomes more visually apparent, and thus we are more susceptable to questioning why we act the way we do.<br />
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It's, perhaps, a little pretentious, you could say. I would say that misses the point. The game was once called Hazard: The Journey of Life, but I think <a href="http://www.antichamber-game.com/">Antichamber</a> is more appropriate a title. The game uses the corners of your brain for a lot of puzzle solving, and requires you to think outside the box. Or perhaps, to reshape the box you think in. I dunno. It's neat.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Silent Statue of Terrifying Accomplishment:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Dark Fall: Lost Souls</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.darklingroom.co.uk/darkfallgames/darkfall3/screenshots/df3_old_hotel_room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://www.darklingroom.co.uk/darkfallgames/darkfall3/screenshots/df3_old_hotel_room.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I absolutely love adventure games, as long-term readers of the blog and old friends would know. The emphasis on atmosphere and exploring environments results in a more pensive experience than a lot of other games allow.<br />
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Adventure games, for that reason, really lend themselves to being creepy and unnerving. They can really get into your skin, as the necessity of close proximity to the environment can bring out its subtle nightmare fuel all the better.<br />
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I originally started this game a couple years ago, and then restarted it recently with my fiancee. The game got to her more than me, but there were numerous points where we were just both far too unnerved to keep playing.<br />
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The game doesn't shock you with horrific images like the Saw films after the first, or impale you on depression and digustingly grotesque imagery like <a href="http://www.thecatlady.co.uk/">The Cat Lady</a>. But it does use two main elements to unnerve you: Surreality, and corruption.<br />
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The game takes place in an old inn and train station, years after an attempt to rennovate it went sour and the whole place has fallen apart. Blood drips in the toilet stalls, broken glass litters the railways, and lights flicker between working and failing. Ghosts linger in the rooms, often texting you garbled messages as they try to communicate electomagnetically. (Confirmed via series canon, not in the game itself. This setting is the same as <a href="http://www.darkfallgames.co.uk/">Dark Fall: The Journal</a>, but much later and much darker.)<br />
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The game, however, takes its fears and horrors and extends it. There are three main characters, each twisted in their own way. A psychotic girl who enjoys demonology. A homeless man who eats rats and prays to a dark god of shadows. A disgraced detective who took the law into his own hands. (You.)<br />
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And the entire hotel is populated in lifeless, immobile statues. Frozen. Marble. Still. Memories of what the place must've once been. No way for them to get there. No one to put them there. No one to move them.<br />
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It all makes sense in the end, and wraps up perfectly. But damn. God damn that psycho little girl, Amy. "Please, Inspector... just one more game! It's my birthday!" The voice acting is top notch in this game, and it seems <a href="http://www.darklingroom.co.uk/">Jonathan Boakes</a> has really grasped the nuance of walking the line of reality and nightmare. He makes a room full of glow moths next to a room full of bloody scissors seem reasonable, and you feel terrified walking out if it, realizing what you've accepted so easily.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Jigsaw Piece of Clever Acknowledgement:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Puzzle Agent</b> and <b>Puzzle Agent 2</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnIQkEfgph6VNfPrd4fP40Piazsl7ZVZX8kVci9KC3pdIV8MUIp6wSOgjf4_LgvGdVmo1UmWJOmAzVbyYm06Y3px_lJStkdDDjVjxC6AZd6lBY6UEqPpa2vdobLoSCaEF8wM-Y_faNARy/s1600/Puzz_Agent_Nelson_office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnIQkEfgph6VNfPrd4fP40Piazsl7ZVZX8kVci9KC3pdIV8MUIp6wSOgjf4_LgvGdVmo1UmWJOmAzVbyYm06Y3px_lJStkdDDjVjxC6AZd6lBY6UEqPpa2vdobLoSCaEF8wM-Y_faNARy/s1600/Puzz_Agent_Nelson_office.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.telltalegames.com/puzzleagent/">Puzzle Agent 2</a> picks up so flawlessly from where the first finishes off that it feels like an episodic series which should be longer than it is. And that's not because it feels unfinished, it just feels like a story universe that could expand into so much more and be relentlessly interesting.<br />
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I've heard this described as "Professor Layton if written by David Lynch" which I assume is a reference to Twin Peaks. If that is indeed an accurate assessment, I really need to watch some more David Lynch, because this game mixes a hilariously dry wit and a surreal, dark undertone that simultaneously treats itself seriously while being aware of the ludicrous nature of its elements.<br />
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Having not played much Professor Layton, I can't make a ton of comparisons, but the puzzle-heavy adventure definitely feels more gratifying than the inventory-heavy nature of many contemporaries. It's nice to never be in a situation where I have to try the foo on every bar until something clicks. <br />
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The art style of the game is very unique, and after playing the two games I looked up the artist's work, which can all be found on his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/grickle">YouTube</a>. If you're not into mindgames, you probably won't get much out of this, but for those with a cerebral persuasion, the gameplay and story both heavily play to your need to "solve puzzles".<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Mask of Achievement in Satirical Ultraviolence:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Hotline Miami</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/15/158679/2434941-hm_dream.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/15/158679/2434941-hm_dream.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This game... is not for the faint of heart. It's not disturbing in a depressing way, and the gore isn't "ultra-realistic". However, it manages to be extremely graphic and violent despite its simple graphics. The game plays like descriptions I've read of really bad acid trips, mixed with the sort of psychotic killing sprees you'd see in films like Machete. However, despite that, there is no good reason for it, and that is the whole point.<br />
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Your character is a random guy who gets messages on his answering machine telling him where people are. Whether they're gangs, or police officers off-duty, or mafia, we never exactly know. There are times when it's extremely implied that the russian mafia is involved, but otherwise we have no idea. "Jacket" (as nicknamed by his iconic jacket) simply shows up, kills everyone, gets out before he's caught, then drives off. He'll then go to pizza joints, or video rental stores, or clubs, or grocers, and run into someone (always looking like the same guy) who will give him a free one "on the house". He lives out his life this way.<br />
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The game is very hard to describe, mostly because it's one of those experiences that I feel exists mostly to tell us about ourselves. Our narrator becomes blatantly unreliable by the end of the story. The game doesn't actively criticize the player, as its gameplay is extremely tight and fast. Aesthetically and mechanically, it is very much the magnum opus of its creators, especially <a href="http://cactusquid.blogspot.ca/">Cactus</a>. It feels influenced by A Clockwork Orange (Kubrick's film version) in some ways, though that could just be my personal comparison.<br />
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Ultimately it's a very fun action game which you can take two ways: You can refrain from thinking about it, and enter a sort of zen fighting mode, or you can think deeply about it, and realize things about human nature and our own.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Decapitated Torso of Failure of Cohesion:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Dead Island</b></span></div>
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No, I'm not even talking about the sequel, Riptide. Even aside from that whole mess, let's look at what the first game gave us. I'll sum it up:<br />
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Left 4 Dead + Borderlands + Dead Rising = Dead Island</blockquote>
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Sounds great, right?! Eh. Like, major eh. This game simultaneously is awesome and a real let-down. On one hand, the action is <i>stellar</i>. The level of violence you can wield in this game easily rivals Left 4 Dead with limb-chopping and decapitations. Zombies and parts will fly! Blood will rain! Wooooo! Get better weapons, throw machetes, shoot guns, upgrade parts, craft things, make an electro-hatchet!<br />
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And then it decides to get hopelessly depressing. You find a guy, locked in a room, huddled in the corner and silently rocking as his zombified girlfriend is in the next room over, tearing the place up. A couple lies dead in their bed, their friend watching them from a chair next to them, holding his hands in his head. People starve in the church, families are torn apart...<br />
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How is this supposed to be fun?<br />
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There was a lot of controversy surrounding how this game released a really sad, moving, touching trailer, and then came out as an action romp. However there are still elements of that in this game. It's like 3/4 of the dev team was working on one game, and the last quarter decided to make a <b>really depressing simulation of bleak destruction of hope. </b>Also there's island natives and it gets mildly... I dunno. I don't think I'm in the place to call it racist, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone found it racist. The main cast is okay, just once you get into the island's jungle, there's natives annnnd... yeah, it pretty much goes <i>exactly</i> where you think it will go.<br />
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I haven't beaten it, don't really feel the need to, so eh, whatever.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Drop of Ingenuity in Sci-Fi Puzzle Platforming:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Waking Mars</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://venuspatrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/wmpc.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://venuspatrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/wmpc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'll be quick with <a href="http://www.tigerstylegames.com/wakingmars/">this one</a>. It shows a remarkably interesting theory about how an ecosystem could evolve to repopulate life on a dead planet, basing in some rather loose sci-fi at parts and harder sci-fi in others. It's all very interesting, and the whole game looks like the worn covers of most mars-oriented fiction that my dad passed down to me. It also has a wonderfully honest relationship between two collegues, of different race, gender, and personal drive. It's that special sort of friendship, where Hollywood might try to force a romantic ending, but it doesn't need that, because the friendship is so deep.<br />
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Gameplay isn't the most compelling, but it does have a fun sort of life-cycle thing, where plants will feed off eachother, and balancing ecosystems by planting seeds becomes important. Give it a shot if you want harder science fiction than BioWare is willing to offer, but nothing as deep as movies like Primer.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Mandated Approval of Depressing Realism:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Papers, Please</b></span></div>
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I have been lucky enough to not live through a truly totalitarian government. Though the current Canadian party has some controlling desires, and the American government is apparently the Orwellian nightmare we all feared, I have never had to live in government-approved housing and been forced to do assigned career work. Choice has been a part of my life, and that's something special.<br />
<br />
I think <a href="http://papersplea.se/">Papers, Please</a>, is a game that really needs to be played by everyone in a privaleged country, who hasn't lived in a totalitarian regime. It'll make you really appreciate what you have, if you're lucky like I, and perhaps open your eyes to how bad it can be for everyone else.<br />
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It's also a wonderful example of why, and how, horrible systems such as the German Nazi Party can come into power and stay in power. Why people go along with it. Why does the passport officer not rebel? This game will not simply tell you why; in this game, you will experience a shadow of the depressing weight of why.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">It Was Like The Previous One, But Better:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Fallout New Vegas</b></span></div>
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<br />
Did you like Fallout 3? Yeah? Well it's like that but better. Like Fallout 3 when you mod it to be real good. Did you hate Fallout 3? Dude, there are other things you can try your luck with. Do you hate Bethesda games? Okay come on, why would you even think you would like this one, come on, just give it a rest, move on.<br />
<br />
I <a href="http://blog.shadenexus.com/search/label/Fallout%203">previously wrote</a> that I wasn't super-keen on Fallout 3, but oddly enough I really warmed up to it on reflection. I had played it while getting my wisdom teeth out, and though that numbed the bad parts, it took a while for me to really remember everything about it. Honestly if I were to recommend Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas, I don't think it'd be an easy choice. Thus far I liked Fallout 3's setting <i>much</i> more, but I do think New Vegas really has some charm.<br />
<br />
So check it out if you want more Fallout 3. And since it is the newer of the two, if you haven't tried either, this is your best bet.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">It Was Also Like The Previous One, But Better:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Soul Calibur V</b></span></div>
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I like the Soul Calibur series. This did not disappoint. I think by this point you're either in or you're out, and this definitely won't change your mind. If you didn't like III but liked II, either this or IV <i>could</i> rekindle your interest, but otherwise you've probably already played it if you intend to. <br />
<br />
If I can say, though? Ivy is really getting rediculous. I know she's this sex symbol and stuff, now, but really, bring back the sea captain uniform. Please. That was cool. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Shooting Star of Variant Adventure:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>FTL: Faster than Light</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.ftlgame.com/">Faster than Light</a> did something that I think we'd all kind of been waiting for. It took some of the really fun elements of roguelikes, space ship sims, and squad-based tactical games, and combined them into one simple unit. You have a lot of randomization, and enough content that you won't see it all in one run, which creates high replayability. You have ship upgrading, with swappable parts, paired with a classic energy management system which will be familiar to watchers of Star Trek and players of FreeSpace. Units are controlled by assigning where they go, and they do tasks as required, while you target weapons and try to take down enemy ships.<br />
<br />
It's really quite a fantastic combination, and I think it's important to note how it hasn't really been done since. There's been a <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coldricegames/interstellaria">successful Kickstarter</a> for a very similar game, and Yahtzee is working on <a href="http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/conshadow/">his own game</a> partially inspired by it, but I think FTL is just perfectly unique enough that the lightning can't really be caught again.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Stupid Title, Fun Gameplay:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations</b></span></div>
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<br />
Naruto was my gateway into anime, and I kept up with it for a while, until the filler arcs started to really kill my motivation to keep up with it. The writing is all over the map, with some really good parts, but other parts which are really shoddily done. However, one thing that I always liked was that it had a lot of unique characters. I think it definitely suffers from a desire to one-up itself all the time. (It constantly talks about there being "types" of chakra (magic) but then breaks that 'mold' with every new villain.) Despite that failure, the characters are unique and interesting from a visual standpoint, and they work very well for fighting games.<br />
<br />
I think this is why Naruto fighting games have always worked a little better than its contemporaries. Bleach is too mono, with everyone being similar until really late in the show. And One Piece is really damn crazy when it comes to super powers, which makes it hard to translate to a game.<br />
<br />
The Ultimate Ninja series of games has, perhaps, been going on a tad too long, or releasing too frequently, but the games are pretty fun. Characters all control fairly similarily, which is a mixed blessing. It's pretty easy to try out new characters, which is fun, and lets you really revel in their flashy effects and the flavour of their personality. On the other hand, fans of specialized fighters will probably get bored really quickly.<br />
<br />
I think one of the really cool parts of this game is that it looks just like the anime. It's really fluid, but they've spent a lot of time perfecting the shaders to the point that it really does look like a cartoon in motion. And there's a ton of little environmental touches that match the flavour of the show perfectly. Ninjas can use chakra to walk on water, so water sections of the map are walkable, however getting hit will actually dump you below the surface briefly. There's little gameplay impact, but it's the sort of flavour and tribute to the series that shows this is a game with a lot of love for its source material.<br />
<br />
And regardless of one's feelings about the source material, I think the dedication it shows is easy to respect.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Years of Work Culminated:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Civilization V</b></span></div>
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I've been playing Sid Meier's series of Civilization games since the second one, and it's been interesting to see its evolution. The third game added a lot of improvements to the second, but the fourth was mostly a graphical update with few changes to gameplay. It did, however, add a fantastic mod system, which introduced a favorite mod of mine which made it into an interstellar colony sim.<br />
<br />
With the fifth game in the series, they decided to really fix a massive problem of the game: "The Stack of Death". It became a recurring problem in the previous games, that you'd have twenty to thirty units on a single square, and resolving combat would take forever.<br />
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They've fixed that by downsizing a lot of the game. The major change is that they've prevented the stacking of military units; squares may contain one military unit and one civilian unit, and that's it. Now, the square grid of the original game made movement rather inefficient in some ways. Moving adjacently was equal to moving diagonally, which resulted in the map being laid out somewhat oddly. They've fixed that too, now using hexagonal grids, which makes sure that multiple paths of direction are still possible, while reducing the odd movement patterns of the older systems.<br />
<br />
It also allows a lot more interesting tactical movements, more similar to Risk. You can now barricade cities by surrounding them with troops, or stop a harbour town from sending out ships by blocking all their water tiles.<br />
<br />
Some of their changes to the other gameplay elements, such as culture, have resulted in combat becoming more of a focus. Military might and tactical prowess are even more important than in previous games. It's a bit of a trade-off: Increased capability for military conquest results in it being more of a necessary focus.<br />
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That being said, there've been some great expansions that rebalance the game, which I'm still aching to try, so perhaps that will fix this issue. Otherwise, I personally found this update to be a great improvement. I've enjoyed playing it a ton, and fans of the series, or those who <i>just</i> couldn't get into it, should definitely give it a try. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkKDs02AyUQ">It still takes a long time to play</a>, though, so it's only really for those who like long sims.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Grey Skull on a Trophy Plaque:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>X-COM: Enemy Unknown</b></span></div>
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The original X-COM: UFO Defense was one of my favourite strategy games on the PC. It had a heavy focus on multi-session learning, using a really strong difficulty curve and highly deterministic gameplay. It's the sort of thing good roguelikes employ, by giving you a sense of accomplishment even in failure.<br />
<br />
The remake, when played at the regular difficulty, also gives off this feeling, and though it has made various changes to simplify and streamline the gameplay, I found it was thematically quite like the original. The new version uses a two-tiered cover system, where you either are out of cover, have partial cover, or full cover. Tactics are a huge focus; when I started the game, I barely used the "overwatch" ability, and now I use it more often than I actually attack.<br />
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The only thing I miss from the original is the action points and inventory systems. The remake lets you use move and use one action every turn, or alternatively move twice. The old action points system was more versatile, letting you potentially make several attacks per turn if your guy was fast enough, or move before and after shooting. However, they've rebalanced the game by adding character classes, many of which have actions which interact uniquely with the movement system. Assault characters can move twice then attack, and Sniper characters can't attack with their rifle on the same turn they move.<br />
<br />
The lack of swappable inventory can be a real pain at times; if your medic gets shot early on, nobody can pick up his medkit. This makes loadout choices a lot more important, and if you really need a medic it might be better to take two on a game, but it can get really annoying. In the original, you could pick up items off dead bodies, which allowed your special items to be more usable.<br />
<br />
That being said, base building is a lot more easy to follow, and in general the interface is streamlined enough that playing it on the PS3 was actually very enjoyable. There has been an expansion released which is apparently very good, and I'm hoping to try it out once Firaxis releases the inevitable next expansion. Waiting on that gold box deal. For now, I'd say X-COM is definitely worth trying for anybody looking for a strategic squad-based tactical game. Especially one where you have to save the human race from invasion.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Perfect Platinum Trophy of Stylistic Action:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Bayonetta</b></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
This game has so much style and flair. It's definitely a spectacle of a game, but it also has really tight controls and a really fun combat system. To round it all off, it has a colourful cast of characters and a fairly unique story that shows a really literal depiction of biblical monsters and angels.<br />
<br />
The titular protagonist, Bayonetta, is a witch of the moon, and her character is a full embracing of the conceptual elements that go into her position in life. I really don't like focussing on whether or not she's a sexist or feminist character, as that debate has been done to death. I do, however, think that she's a very natural character. The politics of the situation are very external.<br />
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She's an authoritative badass that can kick ass and take names, and has been doing so for a long time. Her sexuality is simply a trait of her character, being a woman who has embraced the full nature of her body and augmented it with natural magic. So yes, she's unrealistic, which is precisely because she's superhuman. At one point you mash buttons to make her suplex a dragon, while a meter of damage measured in megatons ramps up on the screen. But to ignore her sexual side would be to ignore a natural part of the human body. She enjoys dancing, fully embracing the sexual side of her body, while also embracing the forceful side by investing in weaponry. She is not willing to even restrict her body with unnatural clothing, instead weaving her garments out of her own hair.<br />
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Her character has an interestingly maternal angle. Mentally, she very clearly treats the world as something to be protected by her. At one point, she must protect a young girl, and though she finds it agonizingly annoying to deal with the girl's immaturity, she still embraces her role as protector and fights tooth-and-nail for the girl. Her maternal side is not the sort of cleansed, puritan angle that modern society demands. She lives in a different sort of purity, instead embracing the apex of her body and order.<br />
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The game is absolutely fun to play, and I really do find all the characters thoroughly enchanting and fun to watch. If you haven't played it, and like action games, I'd definitely recommend giving it a shot, if even just to see a dragon get suplexed. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Golden Dragon Statue of Adventure:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion</b> and <b>The Shivering Isles</b></span></div>
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Despite my <a href="http://blog.shadenexus.com/2013/05/made-for-me-but-wont-see-end-elder.html">issues playing Morrowind</a>, I recently tackled Oblivion, attempting to finally get through an epic fantasy game. I think you've probably played it by now, if you're going to, but if you really need someone to convince you, I'll tell you straight: It's good. The game is fairly open-ended, and as with the other Bethesda games I've played, the modding community has worked hard to really improve the experience.<br />
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I found the use of markers and maps much easier to follow in this game, so getting lost wasn't as common as in Morrowind. The lore and writing is much more generic than in Morrowind, but that's the nature of Cyrodill. It's easily the least interesting setting in the game universe.<br />
<br />
Which brings up The Shivering Isles. All throughout Oblivion you're going through portals, entering various planes, but never staying long. The planes of Oblivion are interesting, being bloody, burning hell-holes, but The Shivering Isles is really what runs with the lore in a fun way. Towards the end of Oblivion, you go to a plane of Oblivion belonging to a wizard, forged for a Daedric Prince. It's quite fantastical, and you wish you could go back. Well, with Shivering Isles, you do something similar.<br />
<br />
Shivering Isles takes you to the titular Shivering Isles, which is the personal Oblivion Plane of the Daedric Prince of Madness, Sheogorath. It has a lot of fun with the game, and the writing is easily the best out of the whole thing. I haven't played the other DLC, but let's just say that the ending of Shivering Isles is so cosmic that I think anything else would pale in comparison.<br />
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If you've only played Oblvion, The Shivering Isles is a must-play expansion to the base game.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Written Certificate of Lexiconal Fun:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Scribblenauts Unlimited</b></span></div>
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This is one that kinda surprised me. I suspected that I would enjoy it, as I'm a fan of puzzle games and word problems. But what really caught me off guard was how charming it is. It's obviously a game for kids, however there's a very basic pleasure in seeing the choices you make come to life. Even though simple, it is fun. Kinda like solving a crossword, mixed with a mild-mannered saturday morning cartoon.<br />
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There's not a lot to say other than that. The story is very simple, and it's really just a fun word puzzle game. But if you want a bit of fun which tickles the brain, it's certainly a good source of that.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Magnifying Glass of Sherlockian Brilliance:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Testament of Sherlock Holmes</span></b></div>
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Ah, Sherlock Holmes. One of the classic series of literature that I have such an iffy relationship with. I like the original stories, but when it comes to adaptations I've seen very few I like. Often Watson is depicted as a bumbling fool, a humorous stereotype of Great Britain for Hollywood film-makers to mock. There's also the autistic interpretation of Sherlock, which although quite interesting is often unsupported by the character's interactions with others. And I simply find the super-human gentleman detective to be thoroughly uninteresting when there is no negative side to him.<br />
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I think this is why I found this game so enjoyable. Right off the bat, it's clear that there's a very special relationship between Watson and Sherlock, that goes beyond flat-mates to a type of co-dependency. Watson, as an ex-army doctor, is stuck in his little flat with little to do each day except reading the paper. Sherlock is depicted as a bit of a psychotic obsessive, possessing a passion for justice and an ego that rarely pays proper respect for others.<br />
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What ends up happening is that Sherlock is the type of man who, without Watson to keep him in line, would easily "go too far" and get in trouble with anyone and everyone. He rarely respects police officers, treating them as bumbling fools, and looks down on thugs as thoroughly beneath him. Watson often has to put him in his place, reminding him of the social requirements of his extraordinary position.<br />
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But likewise, without Sherlock, Watson would have a vacant life. Sherlock is constantly dragging out Watson on adventures, and at the end of it all Watson has the thorough satisfaction of saving queen and country. They have this utter need for each other, and the rest of their abilities simply unfold around that.<br />
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This game has some fantastic writing, and even the somewhat stilted framing device of the story has a touching payoff by the very end. There's some great twists, and a truly perplexing mystery which you eagerly try to keep on top of. It keeps you guessing all the way, and perhaps most refreshingly, this game gives Watson some real time to shine, putting an emphasis on how important he really is to the dynamic. The voice actors have really come into their roles, so if you thought the previous games were a little lacking, you have nothing to fear: It's all gotten better.<br />
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On top of that, the graphics are absolutely gorgeous. The atmosphere in the game is heavy and pensive, and the ability to freely swap between perspectives (first-person, over-the-shoulder, and fixed-camera) really helps you see each environment from the best perspectives.<br />
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The puzzles are also quite ingenious and fun. A few are extremely complex, almost unsolvable, and the game does let you skip puzzles if they're too difficult. It is a bit of a mixed blessing; on one hand, you could argue that skippable challenges means that there's no point in playing. I never found this to be the case, as the skippable parts were all puzzles that are meant to be solved by Sherlock. In a sense, admitting that my intellect is not to match is entirely justified: He is supposed to be super-human after all.<br />
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If you're looking for a really interesting story, and a quite good adventure game, this is one of the best I've played recently, and I can definitely recommend it.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">A Page of Glory:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fallen London</span></b></div>
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<br />
Two parts interactive fiction, one part tarot, and one part RPG. Equal parts H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Bram Stoker. This is a game where you enter London, after it has been dragged beneath the earth by bats, in search of fortune, revenge, secrets, madness, or whatever else draws the natural to the unnatural.<br />
<br />
Fallen London is a game that takes a long time to play. I've been playing for a year and a half so far and am still progressing. It uses a metered system, where you get one action every ten minutes, to a max of twenty actions in queue. So you can take a few hours off and come back and play a burst of it, or you can play it as a coffee break experience.<br />
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There's a ton of content, and it's always getting expanded, so starting now doesn't mean you're gonna hit the end of the story. I'm still playing and I'm not even at the top tier of characters yet, and I'm still coming across interesting new stories all the time.<br />
<br />
If you feel like it, there's premium stories you can spend money to play. The good part of this is that you don't gain any special advantage for paying; there's no "pay to win" here, it's just a way to enhance your normal game by adding a new dash of flavor to the mix. Anything from small asides to sweeping story arcs are available, and the fun of discovery never fails.<br /><br />Fallen London can be played <a href="http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/">in your browser</a>. I heartily recommend it.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-31676253644891006702013-07-31T16:12:00.000-04:002013-07-31T16:13:02.468-04:00Why I feel that Little Big Planet is so importantAt ConBravo I picked up a Sack Boy from Little Big Planet, and after annoying my fiancee to no end by whistling the theme, I realized how much I thoroughly enjoyed the game, and still enjoy it. It's a simply fun game that focuses entirely on positive emotions. Released in a time when games were obsessing over "moral choices" (would you rather be Satan or Pretty Nice Guy?) this was a game that went all the way back to why we started playing games in the first place, and decided to explore all the good things about the imagination and creativity.<br />
<br />
In light of recent "dramatic evolution" in games (cry-wanks like The Last of Us or anything coming from David Cage), it's more important than ever to recognize when a game really gets it right; when a game knows how to make us laugh or smile, even when we're feeling down.<br />
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A game that really understands the power of happiness.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/C2fIFP0VbWQ" width="420"></iframe> </div>
Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-39496410577938977752013-07-14T16:21:00.003-04:002013-10-09T18:52:48.113-04:00This game was Made For Me: Sleeping DogsLet's start this out with a confession: I love martial arts action movies. Part of the reason <i>The Matrix </i>is one of the big film trilogies I adore is because of all the awesome kung fu. As silly as it was, I couldn't help adoring the gun-kata in <i>Equilibrium</i>. I recently sat down and watched <i>Ong-Bak</i> and had a great time.<br />
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But sadly, I've never had much opportunity to explore the legendary kung-fu cinema which inspired so many. I've never really had a chance to watch a ton of Hong Kong action movies.<br />
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And Sleeping Dogs made me realize how much I've missed out on.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">Ambiguous title? Kind of, but at the same time, it does foreshadow the insane escalation of violence that occurs throughout the story. There's some murderous madmen running the show and dear god, they're terrifying once woken up.</span><br />
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The title is interesting because it refers to both elements of the protagonist and antagonist. Despite this being an open-world game, it has a very strong storyline which feels deeply involved in everything you do. Thus we come to an interesting element of the game: Everyone is, deep-down, a unique player in a complex game, and there are secret traits which only emerge under great pressure.<br />
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You play as an undercover cop, and as the game progresses we see how he has a really deep feeling of connection to the criminal underworld. He feels understood by them, and he understands them. He's not a bad guy, but neither are all of them. You start out on the lowest rungs and work your way up, and as expected the lowest rungs act like common thugs.</div>
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<span style="color: #999999;">The cutscenes are actually very well acted, and they can have a ton of tension even when they're fairly peaceful.</span></div>
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There's an interesting point midway, when everything is going to hell and you've climbed the ladder to being a powerful member of one of the Triads. You're helping an older member protect the leader of the triad, who's in the hospital. He remarks how nobody these days has any honor. This ties into the main point of our protagonist, which is that he's a man of values.<br />
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The major theme of Sleeping Dogs, I would say, is that "good and bad" are not respectively equal to "cops and gangs". There is violence and awful people on both sides, but also good on both sides. The game addresses the theme of honor and reverence a lot; funerals and weddings are sacred, despite gang warfare. </div>
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This is where the gameplay of Sleeping Dogs both clashes a bit with the themes and story, despite trying to fit in. The title calls back to the idea that we are all ruthless animals, that when pushed become beasts of destruction. As an undercover cop, this is shown countless times as you commit action-movie finishers on thugs by:</div>
<ol>
<li>Throwing them into dumpsters</li>
<li>Shoving their heads into HVAC fans</li>
<li>Dumping them into boxes</li>
<li>Smashing their heads through fish tanks</li>
<li>Pressing their heads into table saws</li>
<li>Hanging them on meat hooks</li>
<li>Ramming them into electrical transformers</li>
<li>Dumping them into pools of electric eels</li>
<li>Hanging them on meat hooks</li>
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<span style="color: #999999;">I think they'll believe I'm not a cop, now. </span></div>
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This feels a little weird, sometimes. Admittedly it's called for, sometimes, as a lot of these guys would outright kill you if you didn't do this, but it's still a little above and beyond the call of duty. That being said, whenever the really heavy beats hit in this game (and warning, this game is not for the feint of heart) it's understandable when you just go all out and attack a gang in a murderous revenge killing spree.<br />
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And it's not like it doesn't get addressed. They frequently bring up how out of control you are, and the cops constantly want to reel you back in. You're not even that bad compared to a lot of triads, who engage in torture and other heinous acts. (Again, warning, this game is really intense at parts.)<br />
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It also has one of the best climaxes, which I don't want to spoil, but involves, among other things:<br />
<ol>
<li>Surviving torture</li>
<li>Near-death murder exercises</li>
<li>Shirtlessly beating men to death</li>
<li>Meat hooks</li>
<li>A machete rampage</li>
<li>Chase scenes in boats</li>
<li>An ice chipper</li>
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Essentially, you're not gonna enjoy this game unless you love melee combat. The game alternates between three main modes, those being a beat-em-up, a cover-based shooter (with bullet-time abilities!) and driving.<br />
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The melee combat is fantastic, and aside from finishers mentioned above, it has a really simple combo system that adds a lot of depth to the game. Different types of hits, with different types of damage, allow you to pull off a ton of moves that really make you feel like the star of a kung-fu movie. As you level-up, you gain new moves, and the only problem I had is that it can get difficult to remember everything you're capable of pulling off. In fact, often on bosses you have to resort to guarding and countering anyways.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">Some attacks can hit multiple opponents, which is really nice for those sweeping kicks.</span></div>
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The gunplay is surprisingly simple, but effective. The cover emphasis is very heavy, and you'll quickly get shot to death if you're out in the open. You have an ability to leap over your cover and enter bullet-time, which helps you place shots precisely without getting hit. It's great for taking down enemies right as they pop out of their cover, and again makes you feel like the star of an action movie.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">The effects really add to the game. I swear the particle engineers must've had a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YMPAH67f4o">blast</a>.</span></div>
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And finally, driving. Oh wow, is driving satisfying. There's a lot of games which let you drive, and drive fast, but not as many that make it so darn fun. I would honestly put the driving in this game on par with <i>FUEL</i>. Both motorcycles and cars handle uniquely to their model, and all stats (aside from vehicle class) are hidden, so there's a lot of shopping around and experimentation involved. And when you get into chase scenes, it just feels incredible. When you enter aim mode in a vehicle, again you enter slow mo, and when you take out a vehicle, you get a brief slow-mo again. This just feels incredible, as you might be in your motorcycle, see the tailing car approaching, whip around and shoot out it's tires, just to see it slide, flip, and explode in a fantastic fireball.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">Sometimes two. You can actually cause explosive chain reactions of vehicles if you're lucky.</span></div>
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As you're probably noticing, this game really tailors the gameplay towards making you feel like the star of an action movie. You also have some decent parkour abilities which are used for chasing people on foot. Running through the streets of Hong Kong really feels great because it's so busy. They really packed the locale with a ton of content, and it seems evident that a lot of love was really put into the locales. Buildings never look boring, and there's people and eye-candy everywhere that really makes the city feel lived in. Going down the back alleys, it feels so cramped and populated, with piles of boxes and debris, mixed with cramped buildings stringing power lines across he roads. The whole city feels so alive that you really end up feelings responsible for a lot of what you do.<br />
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And killing innocents in this game feels bad. My major problem is that it's too easy.<br />
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I get that they're going for realism, and they want you to be careful, but I think it takes away from the fun and engagement a bit. There's an interesting design note I noticed about the original <i>Driver </i>(the only one I played). Whenever you are gonna hit a person, they dive out of the way, and in such a way that it's actually impossible to hit them. This ends up freeing you a lot in what you can do, and makes you feel less horrible because you don't kill as many civillians.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">People do dodge realistically, which is nice, but it's not enough sometimes, and almost feels too weighty and like it drags down the game.</span></div>
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I actually managed to do a fairly clean run of Sleeping Dogs, just by being careful about how I drove. Civilians didn't get in the way very often, but when they did, oh man it felt bad. And I could understand if this was to drive home the fact that you're a cop, but again, it just feels a little too moralistic when the other half of the game is recommending you use meat cleavers and spikes to impale people to death.<br />
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Despite this shakiness, once I got used to it I found myself getting into a great rhythm, and the story plays out great. I think this is the first open-world game where I really felt myself invested in the locale and story.<br />
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It also has a great ending. Unlike a lot of open-world games which try to leave things open so you can do whatever you want, the game <i>does</i> have an after-ending play mode, but the ending wraps up all the storylines, and simply finishes the game off with a simple question which is left for the player to answer. It gives a nice, clean ending, where you feel satisfied and happy you played. Compare this to something like <i>Saints Row the Third</i>, which despite a great climax, has a final mission which is really just goofing off, and then plops you down <i>before</i> the last mission for you to free-roam. There isn't really room for a sequel or DLC in Sleeping Dogs, at all, but I think that ultimately helps it feel like a more complete experience.<br />
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I noticed this game dropped a lot in used-game value pretty quickly. I think it's probably because of the finality of the ending. I couldn't blame anyone for wanting to sell the game after they beat it. I won't, but that's because I'm kind of a collector of memories and I really enjoyed my time with this game. It will sit on my shelf until I lend it to someone.<br />
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Ultimately, this was one of the most self-contained, thrilling, and enjoyable experiences I've had in this console generation. Not only was it a great story which really hooked me, but full of heart-pounding action and exciting adrenaline.<br />
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<b>Whoa.</b></div>
Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-48020744023943176772013-06-14T19:55:00.002-04:002013-06-14T20:14:56.961-04:00My thoughts on E3 2013Now that E3 is over, I've collected all my thoughts and put them into one place. Here is everything I've got an opinion on, in no specific order. At the very end, I'll summarize my general feelings about this upcoming gen, and what I think it means for me.<br />
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<p><u>PS4</u><br />
First off, we have to address the massive elephant in the room. Sony completely laid the smack down on Xbox One when it comes to used games. OH. SOMEONE CALL DOCTOR SNAP TO THE BURN WARD. It seems like they are following the idea that they are, indeed, making a game console. And likewise, it should be able to, I dunno, play games. And if you want to have a friend play your game? You simply let them play it.</p>
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This is a level of down-to-earth simple understanding that a <i>ton</i> of the games industry is currently missing. After all the "Online Pass" nonsense, "cloud gaming" buzzwords, and limited activations, it's nice to see when a major player in the industry comes out and says "yeah, you're playing games. Have 'em."
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Also, that is a pretty respectable price point. Yeah, if you're a PC enthusiast, you may scoff at it, saying "I can build something better for that price" but no. You can't. You can build a damn good PC, but if all goes as planned the PS4 will be the thing that Microsoft seems to have forgotten: It will be a <i>game console</i>. And a snazzy one at that.
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Furthermore, the PS4 is following the PS3's style of having no region locking. This is another fantastic thing for consumers, and the international game market. Also, having a user-replaceable hard drive? Nice! Good on you, Sony.
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In light of the UI video that has been released, I gotta admit I'm even more intrigued. The whole social networking layer seems really cool, sort of like a game-focused Facebook. The usage of simple "Likes" really helps make the atmosphere seem more social and friendly, and the easy replay recordings seem like a great way of showing off those really awesome moments in games that can at times be hard to explain.
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<u>Xbox 360 Rerelease</u><br/>
Not actually a bad move. Around the time of the PS2's release, Sony put out the PSone, a $100 version of the original PlayStation with a better firmware and smaller form factor. It's actually what got me into console gaming, as the PS2 was too expensive for me at the time. Considering the high price point of the Xbox One, this might be a good idea for them to keep selling units of, well, anything.
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<u>Super Smash Bros. Wii U</u><br/>
Yeah. I approve. It's a well-kept secret (well, I guess no longer) that I'm a fairly big fan of the Smash Bros series of games by Nintendo. As a fan of casual fighting games (in other words, not combo-focussed) I enjoyed the simple fun of taking characters and wailing them against each other. So the announcements, although simple, were pretty interesting. I think the addition of the Animal Crossing Villager is pretty entertaining, and appropriate. Mega Man's inclusion is a fantastic entry to the series, and his place is well-earned. And the Wii Fit Trainer, uh… well… uhm… I guess that is indeed a thing.
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Also really liking the minute differences between the 3DS and Wii U version. The colour choices reflect the system's displays better, and the stage choices being relevant to their system (based on console games or handheld games) is a really smart touch.
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<u>Bayonetta 2</u><br/>
As a fan of the first game, I like the sound of there being a second game. Looking at stills, I wasn't a fan of her new look, but in motion it seems to work really well, and the game looks like it will have the same panache and fervent spectacle as the first. Definitely looking forward to this one.</p><p>
<u>Yoshi's New Island</u><br/>
Wasn't a big fan of the first, doubt this one will do anything for me. Can I just comment, though, on the title? "Hey what's the name of the new Yoshi's Island game?" "Yoshi's New Island" "…oh. Oh. Ohhhh."</p><p>
<u>Wind Waker HD</u><br/>
After the development screenshots were leaked, I was pretty offended because they were changing the style a lot and using pretty crappy shaders. Now though, they seem to have smartened up and simply recreated the old visual style that made the game so iconic. That being said, crappy shaders. Still there. That bloom is literally awful, I would turn it off completely if they give me the option.</p><p>
<u>Mario Kart 8</u><br/>
My love for Super Smash Bros is similar to my love for Mario Kart. That love only increases in proportion to motorcycles. I see motorcycles. I also see anti-gravity hover carts and under-water levels. I like.</p><p>
<u>Mad Max</u><br/>
Post-apocalyptic open-world mayhem by the creators of Just Cause 2? Sign me up.</p><p>
<u>Assassin's Creed 4</u><br/>
I don't like this. The costumes are extremely over designed, to the point that it makes Pirates of the Carribean look historically accurate. Furthermore this is a series which was driven into the ground long ago and only keeps going because they somehow manage to keep cramming new features in.</p><p>
It's strange, there's a thing in development called "Feature Bloat" which is caused when designers, artists, or programmers, keep adding things without limitation. This ends in a directionless game with too much to do and all of it too glitchy.</p><p>
You can see feature bloat evident in even the core movement mechanics of the first game. 4 different motions, changed to a different 4 in every context, resulting in like 3 possible actions per button. Someone really needed to cut that down and didn't. But it seems that after the first game, they just ran with it, and just kept adding more and more stuff.</p><p>
The setting lends itself to this development style as well. Because they're essentially endlessly ret-conning history, they can make as many games as they want, provided they keep getting gameplay ideas. So it seems like they keep iterating on an engine, devoting a massive amount of resources to it, and keep adding new features into the system. This shouldn't work… but somehow does. They somehow keep pumping out cohesive experiences, and as much as I personally find the titles drag, and the stories to be really weak, it's pretty impressive that they keep finding new ways to expand the game universe.</p><p>
<u>Kingdom Hearts 3</u><br/>
FINALLY. I'm not even a fan of a series, but after the six or so side-story games that have been released, this is a series which has been craving a solid third entry. Alas there are not nearly as many details as I would like to hear, but as has been discussed by many people, E3 isn't about design, E3 is about impressing people (mostly investors).</p><p>
But seriously, that gameplay in the trailer was the weakest I've watched thus far.</p><p>
<u>Octodad: Dadliest Catch</u><br/>
Yes.</p><p>
<u>The Order: 1886</u><br/>
No gameplay, no comment.</p><p>
<u>The Division</u><br/>
Holy moly so that's what next-gen graphics look like. I have to say I'm impressed. Also the collaborative gameplay looks really cool in this one, especially with potential for PVP. The whole near-future holographic overlay stuff is really cool, and I feel it's way more immersive than a lot of the current HUDs are. Also pretty neat that it looks like players can sign in on their tablet (implied by one player in the gameplay trailer) to jump in on the action as helicopter backup.</p><p>
<u>The Crew</u><br/>
I'm not big on racing games. Nor am I big on online multiplayer. That being said, it seems this next gen has a main feature of "connectivity" and it's really quite fascinating what they're doing. Playing an open-world racing game where you have the entirety of the United States to seamlessly drive through sounds… awesome. I was a big fan of FUEL, despite its problems, and it could be really fun to play a game like FUEL, but with friends.</p><p>
One single request: Either give me motorbikes or classic car frames. Either and I'm sold.</p><p>
<u>Mirror's Edge Reboot</u><br/>
Hm. The first was an amazing idea, marred by a major flaw of having a poorly-executed combat system shoved into it. Remaking it from the ground up, and working in a properly-done combat system makes a lot more sense. Except, it sort of misses the point. The point of Mirror's Edge was to be a runner. That means <i>avoiding</i> combat, and even if the combat plays well, I'd rather play a game where you couldn't fight at all. As much as half of me scream "YES" just to have another Mirror's Edge game, I'm really hesitant because of the way it was presented.</p><p>
<u>Titanfall</u><br/>
One of my problems with E3 multiplayer trailers is that they make games look far more team-based than they end up being. Often I've found that online games, especially if they're popular, are full of jerks who play team-modes as if they're deathmatch. Either that, or a bunch of hardcore players who piss all over anyone who isn't pro enough, and don't know how to just enjoy <i>giving it your best shot</i>. It's annoying and always makes me wish there were more people interested in immersive team play like I am. Getting involved in the setting and gameplay.</p><p>
That being said, I love the chaotic mix of free-running manshooting and high-octane mech action. It seems to flow seamlessly between them, and the ability to take down mechs as a human, but also easily squash humans as a mech, makes some really cool duality.</p><p>
<u>Sunset Overdrive</u><br/>
As far as I can tell, there wasn't any gameplay, so I'm not interested.</p><p>
<u>D4</u><br/>
It's by SWERY. It looks very unique. On principle I am interested.</p><p>
<u>Watch Dogs</u><br/>
This came up last year as the title I was the most ambivalent about. In light of recent leaked documents from the NSA, and current debates, I feel Watch Dogs is extremely topical. It tackles a subject (surveillance) that needs to be discussed more. However, I do worry about it giving the wrong message. That surveillance is somehow okay because then badasses can be cool vigilantes.</p><p>
What I really need to see is a story universe that has a bunch of people like protag, and <i>most</i> of them are bad guys. It seems, through more gameplay, that it is evident that the player <i>does</i> have some weaknesses, and that you'll have to act smart to get through most situations. This is good, and hopefully it will show a lot more restraint than Assassin's Creed did.</p><p>
Last time I talked about this, I also wasn't as depressed. Since then, an interesting thing I've found is that I really <i>do</i> like empowerment fantasies. So hey, maybe being a nigh-unstoppable badass who can shatter our police state existence could be really fun. Maybe it could be the breath of air we need to stop feeling like we're drowning.</p><p>
<u>Destiny</u><br/>
After everything else, it just looked very samey, and quickly lost my interest.</p><p>
<u>Beyond: Two Souls</u><br/>
Ehhhhhh…. the plot doesn't even sound very interesting any more. It's incredibly pretentious as well. I'm sorry, David Cage, but having good actors wear rubber CG suits doesn't make you a good designer. Nor good director. What are you even trying to accomplish here? Because thus far you're boring me with your dull trailers for what seems thus far to just be a machinima.</p><p>
<u>The Wonderful 101</u><br/>
Oh my god. This looks amazing. It's like every single session of playing with a box of toys mixed together with a superhero comic, power rangers, and Bayonetta. It looks fantastically explosive, and I'd love to play it.</p><p>
<u>New Super Luigi U</u><br />
I've always felt very hit and miss about Mario games. 64? Meh. Sunshine? Really fun! Galaxy? Okay. Super Mario 3? Decent. Super Mario Land? Pretty fun. New Super Mario Bros? Eh. I've always been more of a fan of Luigi, so that's interesting that he's getting a game now. What really interests me, though, is that there's this character who steals stuff and can't get hurt. He's apparently playable. I wanna play as that guy. I want to find someone who is good at this game, have them play as Luigi, then just mess about as this rolly-polly thief guy.</p><p>
<u>Tearaway</u><br />
Little Big Planet is a platforming game that, even though I'm not great at, I have a lot of fun playing. This new game from the same developers seems really interesting, with a lot of little immersive elements that really use the Vita's touch controls to great effect. I don't have a Vita, and have no motivation to get one, but I find it's interesting regardless.</p><p>
<u>Pokemon X & Y</u><br/>
Okay so take two pokemon. Yours and the one you fightin'. Draw a line. Dat be your Z axis. But what if you now have FIVE pokemon you are going against. They form a line. Dat be your X axis. But now, now you're in the SKY. And the sky and ground form a Y axis. POKEMON X & Y is in 3D BUT NOT JUST GRAPHICS, GAMEPLAY TOO!</p><p>
I'm sorry.</p><p>
<u>Quantum Break</u><br/>
Hey that looks co- oh, no gameplay? Nevermind, no comment.</p><p>
<u>Saints Row 4</u><br/>
<i>Saints Row the Third</i> was one of my favorite current-gen games. I hadn't played the previous games, but I found The Third to be a hilarious satire of open-world games, with great writing and fun gameplay. The sequel looks to be even more insane, though I'm not sure if that will be good or not. I worry that it may have too many gags, and focus less on solid gameplay. Indeed, the gameplay trailers have really only shown interesting superpowers, and a lot of the weaponry looks like a one-off gag that will get old fast. That being said, the latest trailers also showed that the writing looks up to par, so maybe the story can carry it. I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm kinda hesitant.</p><p>
<u>Moebius</u><br/>
As a fan of adventure games, a new game from the maker of <i>Gabriel Knight</i> interests me. Looks like it will be touching on both new technology and mysticism as themes, which should be a very interesting combination. The little gameplay shown looks like classic point-and-click fare, which is good, as well as some interesting high-tech computer-interface shenanigans. The fact that the story seems to be a murder mystery adds another interesting edge to this. I'm going to be keeping my eyes on this one.</p><p>
<u>Wii U</u><br />
One of the interesting things I've noticed is that Nintendo seems to have successfully removed themselves from the console wars. I think this is a great step, as Nintendo has a very dedicated market that wouldn't benefit from trying to compete with the other AAA manufacturers/companies. It's further interesting to see that Miyamoto is sticking to his guns with the "making games like toys" style of design. Not only does he really support consumer rights, but he really focuses on fun above all else, and is really quite brilliant at that.</p><p>
It's also interesting to note that Nintendo has always put replayability as a high requirement of all their games. That really reduces the likelihood of their games getting churned through GameStop like a lot of AAA yearly releases. (<i>Assassin's Creed</i>,<i> Call of Duty</i>, etc.) Seriously go into a GameStop and see how many first-party Nintendo games are available second-hand. Not many.</p><p>
Honestly out of all the consoles, the Wii U looks like it has the most stuff that would be simply <i>fun</i>. Maybe not the deepest or most "poetic" experiences, but they certainly look like some of the best ways to unwind. Oddly enough, though the PS3 has some attractive games coming out, I almost feel more interested in obtaining a Wii U at some point.</p><p>
<u>Dead Rising 3</u><br/>
I dunno. It's cool that it's this open-world, gritty, zombie game, but at the same time... zombies are really getting old. I get it, it's really enjoyable to take out frustration by just mowing downs entire crowds of people while still being a good person for doing so. But still, eh, it feels pretty samey, and I find that the cliches in these types of games just get <i>really</i> boring. I'll ultimately be waiting for reviews, but I think I'll probably pass.</p><p>
<u>Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare</u><br />
A first-person shooter pitting the iconic plants from <i>Plants vs Zombies</i>, each turned into their own playable class, against the iconic zombies, also turned each into a playable class. Looking at the dev info, it seems they're really interested in designing this from the ground up as a PvZ game, and not just slapping the title onto an FPS game. The whole team-based 4 player mode thing is fairly overdone, but it likes like there is a ton of fun, unique gameplay going into this. There certainly is a lot to be said for a game which looks like it can have nearly this much fun with itself. I'm certainly intrigued.</p><p>
<u>Thief 4</u><br />
It seems okay. It's definitely doing some things right, giving the player a lot of options to deal with scenarios. The water arrow is an interesting weapon, capable of taking out torches and fire lamps. That being said, the setting looks incredibly mundane, and it seems lacking in any hook to get me interested. I do like the locational damage system, but still, the combat itself looks fairly simple and boring. They do talk about a story existing, but they don't elaborate on it, which is rather disappointing. All in all, they didn't capture my interest.</p><p>
<u>Occulus Rift</u><br/>
I think it's a fantastic idea, the big problem is that I suffer from really bad vertigo, and I fear that the device would probably give it to me quite easily. That being said, I think it's a really fantastic idea, and could really add a new dimension of immersion to our gaming experiences.</p><p>
<u>Wolfenstein: The New Order</u><br />
You know... I really didn't want to be interested at all by this... but they got me. Dang it, they got me. An alternate history story where the Nazis win WWII, you play as a cryogenically frozen soldier who attempts to take down the now world-wide Nazi Empire in the near future of the 40s. So it's a retro-futuristic game, which basically extrapolates a view of the 60's based on where Nazi tech was trying to go, and you play as a soldier trying to take down the world-wide evil empire. Hideously pulpy, but it sounds really fun and like an interesting premise.</p><p>
I only worry that it might come off as somewhat offensive. WWII is still pretty recent in the channels of history, and if they don't play this seriously, it could come off like trivializing the outcome of the war. Normally I'm not opposed to using Nazis as a big plot point, but making the allies lose WWII is one of those things I feel awkward about. Regardless, I'm going to keep my eyes on it, and see what people say.</p><p>
<u>The Evil Within</u><br/>
Brining things back to basics, eh? Less combat focused? Less balance and more careful planning? Sound like good concepts to me. I really like the minimal HUD, and the aspect ratio is an interesting choice to try and make things look more cinematic. I like the stealth stuff, and the autonomous AI. The aesthetic has a <i>ton</i> of grunge, which is great for survival horror. Lots of blood, grime, grindhouse-levels of gore... thus far it looks most like <i>Saw</i> (the first) than <i>Hostel</i>, which I think is a good choice for them. The asylum setting is really great for making a horror setting, so this could turn out suitably cerebral as well. I'm interested.</p><p>
<u>Xbox One</u><br/>
*sigggggh* No. Everyone has said everything that needs to be said. There's price issues, consumer rights issues, and privacy issues. Look up "xbox one+[any of those button topics]" to get all the news you want about it. I'm depressed enough these days as it is. Xbox One has zero interest from me.<br />
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<h3>
So what do I think?</h3>
This generation looks like it could make a lot of interesting games, and that the idea of connectivity could really revolutionize how we play games. I don't play games with other people as often as I wish I did, and it could be really fun to have a fluid way of adding people into my games. We'll have to see how it all turns out, but I actually have hopes for this generation, so that's something.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-44627035728148292242013-05-06T19:04:00.004-04:002013-05-06T19:16:48.661-04:00Made For Me, but won't see The End: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What do you mean I'm late to the game?<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Because "Vvardenfell" would just be a weird-sounding subtitle.</span> </div>
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This game is really, really good.<br />
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In recent times, we've seen a massive uprising in "open world" gameplay. Bethesda recently released the beta of their latest game in the series, an online MMO spinoff that covers their massive world. The fifth game in the series, Skyrim, was generally very well received. Also, it's gorgeous. Kinda. In that very modern, realistic sense.<br />
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My major complaint with merely looking at the Elder Scrolls games is that they seem to have been decreasing in unique style since Morrowind. The first and second games were pretty simplistic, graphically, but Morrowind is where they really went wild and colourful. It was all exotic and colourful, with fungi and flowers in weird shapes and styles. Then Oblivion is all rolling hills, European countryside, and standard fantasy fare. Then Skyrim is snow. Cause it's in the north.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Despite being the most graphically inferior, Morrowind
had the most unique stuff. Despite being the most graphically superior,
Skyrim used its graphics power to render dull rocks and samey pine
forests.</span> </div>
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I have a copy of Oblivion lying around, but I wanted to start out in the earliest of the true-3D titles. So I booted it up, and it looked like, well, 2002. Well, that wont' do. And being a PC gamer, I'm such a borderline-OCD mod-obsessed freedom hacker[1] that I simply had to trick it out. <br />
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So armed with injected shaders, a DX9 plugin hack that extended my vision several cells out, and various other mods[2], I delved into the land of Vvardenfell. Not Morrowind. Morrowind is the... province, if I recall? Vvardenfell is actually the island you're on. <i>(Note: All screenshots from here on out are captured from my copy of the game, using the mods I have installed, and whatever shaders I injected.)</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The view as I step off the boat and enter a small coastal town.</span></div>
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One of the things this game does really well is create both a sense of grandiose, and put itself firmly in a land of lore. There is nothing in this game that is not logically explained. Factions, cities, even people have histories to them. The important ones have books written about them, that you can freely read when you want. It's standard epic RPG fare, sure, but I don't think that makes it invalid to comment on. It's still a masterful feat of writing, and something that is played down sometimes in our current force-fed gaming universe.<br />
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One of the things I really liked in the first Mass Effect was how the codex entries felt so important. But in the second game, they just felt useless, like they were repeating a lot of the same stuff, or didn't help at all to grant more info. Its format also didn't make much sense, as one could assume The Future would contain some sort of wireless internet service and wikis.<br />
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Likewise, The Past would simply have books, and it's really interesting to see rarer books with more forbidden or secret info be locked away, or sell for higher prices. You actually have motivation to wander through mage guilds, if only to find a new book with some tantalizing hint as to historical events.<br />
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One of the things the game really does is give you a lot of motivation to explore. The locales are varied and interesting, and especially with some mods to liven up the mundane areas, you get this feeling of being able to travel between these fantastical realms; exotic cities and lush forests.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Returning to the same village on a different day, having walked there, and arriving at sunset.</span></div>
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And that's another thing this game got right, that we don't really do any more. I know it's really tempting to have fast-travel in your game. Hell, it was really useful in Fallout 3. But at the same time, it can really make the game too easy. In Fallout 3 I had this moment of compulsion where I entered a general store which was really close to a fast-travel location. Inside were a bunch of cool items that would sell for a lot of money. So I loaded up until near encumbrance, then teleported back to the major city.<br />
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You can't do that as easily in Morrowind. You can learn spells to teleport, but you have to put a lot of energy into learning and using those. And that's just assuming you want to move between two specific points. If you sudden;y have to go somewhere, teleporting isn't so easy.<br />
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The major mode of transport in the game is using public transportation (giant beetles that are carved out and work like taxis) or getting a mage guild to teleport you. This is really cool, and most importantly, costs money. See, we underestimate how important it is to sometimes weigh the player down. By having fast-travel costly, we make the player have to choose to use it. And his choice will have actual consequences, beyond simply popping into wherever he wants to go. It makes you feel more involved in the world, without simply being some sort of teleporting god who only likes doing so when enemies aren't nearby.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There's one of those cool beetle things on the right there.</span></div>
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This isn't to say that Morrowind is a perfect standard. There's certain things it does that probably made sense at the time, but just don't work well any more. The combat is the most obvious. Morrowind's system of attack is kinda odd. For your attack to hit, it has to be in range. But then, it calculates with the attack misses due to agility and dodge and stats like that. Then it checks if an attack penetrates armour. Then it deals damage. In most modern games, especial action RPGs, we've moved away from the realm of hit-to-attempt and have just incorporated dodge and similar mechanics into the player movement itself. The way Morrowind handles it feels very disconnected. Thankfully there's a mod that changes the combat to make each hit a hit, but be wary that this majorly amplifies the game's difficulty, as you will lose health quickly.<br />
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Morrowind also has what I like to refer to as "null pacing". The plot develops, but it develops entirely at your speed, with very little guidance. You're essentially plopped in a world and told to go have fun. The inclusion of a rough journal system is very helpful, but its navigation is rather dated and it is far too easy to lose track of your progress.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Where was I going, again?</span></div>
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In recent games, I've seen this solved by breaking up quests based on importance, or sections depending on who gave them to you. This is a better way to organize it, and it's a shame they didn't implement it back then.<br />
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The plot, also, is rather hard to follow. There's a cult, a lost prophet, and all this other stuff which makes sense when you play it, but the pacing weighs it down further. Because there's nothing really driving the plot except whatever you decide on, it's hard to feel like there's any sort of urgent problem at all, and the lore of the main quest - the really important stuff - is easily lost among all the fluff of the world.<br />
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Which is what led to me putting the game down. At some point I had about 20 quests, and no idea which I was supposed to do next. I had travelled 3/4 of the way around the game map, and was now encountering random enemies which would one-/two-hit kill me. At this point the plot became irrecoverable, and I had lost any immersion with what was going on in the world.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This tree is nice though. Well chosen by the mages guild. I'd get one.</span></div>
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Which is a shame, because I feel the game probably gets really interesting and does a lot of neat stuff. I really liked a lot of the plot turns I <i>did</i> play through, and seeing more new locales would just be even cooler.<br />
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It's always a problem we have, looking back and playing old games. Modern games, there's so many released that they're constantly fighting to maximize your interest in them. They'll cut any corners they have to, in a bid for your undivided attention. And in a world where everything wants your attention, that's a lot of corners.<br />
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Older games, they didn't have that. The world was less connected, and you could sit down and play a game, and just be immersed. You didn't feel like you were fighting it for your time, because your time was easier to manage. These games were designed more to feel like a cohesive world, an experience, a place you could go to and explore.<br />
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And for that, I loved it.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrW_t9Q5QO2FIf9z1j80D4uu84HrkOI5dAHaUDM2XJ9s-0nzXj9mFuWbk1p0hVs2Dnzzies8wxwJ5ZB7AP_6qSUshq80hOLKy5NZzpT09bktbsXDXFW7oYYc8OHpz2H8DJ-ppT4SqvhBU/s1600/MGE+Screenshot+04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrW_t9Q5QO2FIf9z1j80D4uu84HrkOI5dAHaUDM2XJ9s-0nzXj9mFuWbk1p0hVs2Dnzzies8wxwJ5ZB7AP_6qSUshq80hOLKy5NZzpT09bktbsXDXFW7oYYc8OHpz2H8DJ-ppT4SqvhBU/s1600/MGE+Screenshot+04.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Long Walks on Temperate Beaches</b></div>
<br />
<hr />
<br />
1. I'm not a very good hacker.<br />
2. I was running both the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions, as well as a ton of modifications. It literally would be impossible for me to list everything that I was using. I would recommend simply trying things out yourself, and going from there.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-5800217905113808382013-02-23T00:19:00.000-05:002013-03-10T04:30:44.154-04:00So I was playing Left 4 Dead 2...L4D2 always makes me feel like quitting when the exact same thing happens. Every game I play. I will describe it:<br />
<br />
Two headshots and three body shots with a sniper rifle into a witch. She doesn't die, chases me down, and gets me immensely close to death if doesn't kill me right there.<br />
<br />
No.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
That's not how guns or the human body work.<br />
<br />
And I'm not even a biologist or a gun connoisseur.<br />
<br />
This is one of those things that's called "when game mechanics utterly break immersion." You put all this time into making a immersive zombie sim, Valve, and then do something so bullshit like that? It seriously frustrates me so much more than is probaly logical. I hate seeing a good game's immersion being ruined by a stupid design choice.<br />
<br />
Ugh.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-19909933075785835602013-01-29T10:22:00.000-05:002013-01-29T10:22:37.672-05:00My new game project, FeAStFor those interested, I'm developing a stealth-adventure horror game for my final semester of college. I'm chronicling development on another blog, which can be found <a href="http://feasthorrorgame.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
This blog will be rather vacant for the next three to four months, as I try to complete my assignments, this massive game project, and a few smaller projects too. If you're interested in following my development, please follow the dev log. If you're waiting on more content in the way of criticism and commentary from me, my apologies that it will take a while before there's anything new.<br />
<br />
I'm also kicking around some concepts for a video series, which may begin this summer. I'm not sure though, I still have to work out a lot of details, and finish the aforementioned college. If you're one of my few dedicated readers, thanks for following and I'll be back before you know it.<br />
<br />
If you'd like more public, random little tidbits of what I'm up to, you can also follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/ShadeJackrabbit">Twitter</a>.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-64106041829881932642012-11-29T19:48:00.001-05:002013-03-10T04:31:30.379-04:00Humble completely reasonable THQ BundleAh good, the wave of indie/drm-free/FOSS purists feels they need to strike again. <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11/humble-thq-bundle-threatens-to-ruin-the-brands-reputation/?comments=1">People are swearing off Humble Indie Bundle</a> and saying they'll never buy another one ever again and that the brand has entirely lost their wallet thanks to the recent <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/">THQ bundle</a>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Look I'm a principled guy but this is stupid. Utterly stupid. I get that the bundle has always been about a bunch of core principles, and this time around they aren't following most of them. But uh... so what? I don't recall them ever saying they're gonna release less bundles or that this will stop them from pursuing their main line. Oh, what's that, the CEO came out to say exactly that they're going to keep doing indie stuff and they're planning another bundle later in the year? Huh.<br />
<br />
Here, I'll quote the whole response that Ars got. Read the <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11/humble-thq-bundle-threatens-to-ruin-the-brands-reputation/">whole article</a> for the rest of it:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[We will] never stop creating Humble Indie Bundles... and
the other bundle types we've successfully launched this year. But we’re
also eager to see if our pay-what-you-want plus charity model meshes
with critically acclaimed AAA content as well."<br />
<br />
"[We] will not cease in
our quest to bring awesome content to Mac and Linux and Android" </blockquote>
There's being principled and then there's getting uber-defensive over the chastity of your indie-ness. Big whoop if there's a THQ bundle. If you like it, buy it, if you don't like it, don't buy it. Until you outright see them moving away from a good and beneficial model (which they aren't doing) all you're doing is slapping one of your few allies in the face for daring to take a good opportunity.<br />
<br />
Backlash like this would be much more deserved towards someone like EA doing something bad, not someone like Humble Bundle doing something "eh." The moral indignation is completely misguided.<br />
<br />
So here's my survival guide on getting past the moral indignation and thinking reasonably again.<br />
<br />
<b>1. I'm morally outraged because this single-handed destroys everything they did!</b><br />
<br />
Uhm... how? Pretty sure they made all those other bundles. Also pretty sure they said they'll be making more indie bundles. Also pretty sure you're not obligated to buy this. <br />
<br />
<b>2. They've shifted focus completely, and thus I can't support them!</b><br />
<br />
I forgot, you spell Indie "T - H - Q". Erm, no, this has nothing to do with that. They've done this a lot before. Like that <a href="http://blog.humblebundle.com/post/13163342831/introducing-the-humble-introversion-bundle">Humble Introversion Bundle</a>. Sometimes they release bundles that aren't part of their main Indie bundle line, and they see what happens. Introversion bundle didn't impact the release of their standard Indie bundles, and neither will this.<br />
<br />
<b>3. They're showing they support something I find morally objectionable!</b><br />
<br />
Okay. Don't buy it.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Because of number three, I'll never buy from them again!</b><br />
<br />
Why? I thought you wanted to support indie, drm-free, multiplatform games? If you refuse to ever buy from them again, and in turn refuse to buy said indie, drm-free, multiplatform games, you're just hurting your own moral argument.<br />
<br />
<b>5. THQ is a AAA company and thus evil!</b><br />
<br />
Get off Tumblr. Get off Reddit. Get off Facebook. Don't read this blog. They're all part of a AAA system! Which is evil!<br />
<br />
<b>6. No but seriously they brutally overworked the development staff of Homefront.</b><br />
<br />
I am aware of <a href="http://www.neogamr.net/news/homefront-hurt-by-leadership-claim-ex-team-members">the allegations</a>. They may be true. See my answer to number three. What you guys don't seem to get here is that Humble Bundle is a distributor. They have no connection to the games being made. You don't like what they're stocking? Fine, don't buy from them while they stock that product.<br />
<br />
When the bundle's over, and they sell indie games again, are you really telling me you will refuse to buy it because they once sold a THQ bundle? How does that help <i>anyone</i>. It's like saying that everybody should move out of Toronto since they once had a mayor like Rob Ford. (Topical humour!)<br />
<br />
<b>7. But the titles they had previously were all lesser-known indie titles!</b><br />
<br />
No, none of them were. Ever. They were indie sensations. They were massive indie hits. They were things like Amnesia, Braid, Uplink, Sword and Sorcery, Binding of Isaac, Jamestowne, and the like. All of them were doing pretty well anyways, and had gotten a major amount of press. Yeah, these are much more known titles, but it's not like Humble Bundle has been some sort of vanguard helping unknown secret gems. <br />
<b><br />8. But... but I want to be morally indignant and-</b><br />
<br />
And Humble Bundle is an easy target. It's difficult to stand up and say "oh crap, Walmart sells sweatshop shoes, Facebook outsources to cheap foreign labour at minimum wage, Google wantonly breaches privacy, and my grocery store is putting local farmers out of business" but it's easy to say "Ahah! A small little company that's trying to help charity did something a little wrong!"<br />
<br />
It gives you a sense of satisfaction to stand up and say "Look at me! Look at me! I did something right! Now I get to judge all of you like you're judging me!"<br />
<br />
<b>9. That's pretty much what you're doing with this blog post though</b><br />
<br />
I'm judging all of you for getting all worked up over this. I don't care if I'm right or wrong, I just don't want Humble Bundle to take a massive hit over something as stupid as this. Simmer down and put your efforts towards something that matters. This is nothing. How about you get back to putting nails into Sony or Amazon's coffin, eh?Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-26820635764533322102012-11-27T02:01:00.000-05:002013-03-10T04:31:45.741-04:00A thought plopped in my head and brewed all day<div class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">I
was reading quotes from earlier in the day: stuff Will Wright was
saying about how video games and computers can bridge gaps in the human
synaptic pathways, allowing us all to express and share our creative
ideas better. Minecraft and Spore have been good examples of this, but
it gave me some thought.<br /> </span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent"> I've been using SimCity as a creation
engine for simulating a city for a creative setting of mine. Little game
events have helped flesh out so many parts of the back story, it's
rather interesting. One of my friends uses Dwarf Fortress for generating
fantasy world maps.<br /> <br /> When I first started playing D&D, I
used the character creator from Neverwinter Nights, took screenshots of
that, and printed out the picture with my character sheet when my dad
would run games for me.</span></span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br />
I have
copies of Age of Empires and Age of Empires II. Could I use them to
develop the battlements of the massive city fortress for the second half
of my fantasy story? Or indeed I do have Stronghold, and perhaps that
would be more suited?<br />
<br />
Indeed could I not use Spore to develop
wild and unique monsters for fantasy and horror? (I can't, I don't have a
copy, but that can be fixed.)<br />
<br />
Fans of Goosebumps, the stories
of Horrorland were some of the most memorable... and the Rollercoaster
Tycoon thread about the sadistic "Mr Bone's Wild Ride" certainly has
such a feeling of dread. Could I not lay out my own themepark of horror
for my own stories by cracking that game out of the closet too?<br />
<br />
The internal layout of a hospital, why not ThemeHospital? (I do have a copy.)<br />
<br />
So much emphasis on simulator games is in recreating epic historical
battles, or ramming two epic forces together, or meeting obscure goals
in a checklist to feel like you're as good a manager as a real
Mayor/Monster/King/Emperor/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>Manager. But what if, indeed, these games can be used for even more?<br />
<br />
Perhaps sometimes what we see as games, can be tools too. And if that's
the case, said tools are a feast of entertainment, both creative and
hedonistic.<br />
<br />
I wonder what I can come up with.</div>
Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-38558889632270589852012-06-07T22:50:00.001-04:002013-07-31T16:17:33.754-04:00My E3 2012 thoughtsNow that E3 is over, I'm gonna quickly wrap up my thoughts on stuff that was shown, that actually interested me.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-LeVEaUkhMBmywZz7LTFjcamXfv87tSqPG-r4w0dLYCWs-8eIlkBaiwqFMSw3vtK202c0gC9tKMeuXHqV6G_yH86J6rP7XntgUurfx6IR2Njl-Q2sKO71TUeJW03i6jzCFvW8bBKISY/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-LeVEaUkhMBmywZz7LTFjcamXfv87tSqPG-r4w0dLYCWs-8eIlkBaiwqFMSw3vtK202c0gC9tKMeuXHqV6G_yH86J6rP7XntgUurfx6IR2Njl-Q2sKO71TUeJW03i6jzCFvW8bBKISY/s1600/logo.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
(This is in no particular order, just things as I found out about them.<b> )</b><br />
<br />
<b>Tomb Raider.</b> Wow, that was all very uncomfortable to watch. By extension, I hope it's actually that uncomfortable to play, too, because that's what could really give it a lot of emotional weight. If done right, could be one of the most terrifying gameplay experiences in a long time, and I think that's actually a good thing.<br />
<br />
<b>ZombiU.</b> Looks like it could actually have some potential, and uses the WiiPad in some pretty cool ways. Not enough to make me buy the system, though.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>SmartGlass.</b> Okay, this is pretty awesome. I can't say much else.<br />
<br />
Now, I'd like to make a recommendation to Wizards of the Coast.<br />
<br />
Guys, you're trying to make 5E. Guys, you remember all the online
connectivity stuff you promised for 4E that you never delivered? Guys,
if you don't create a DM rig for Xbox you are MASSIVELY MISSING OUT. DM
gets a DM screen on his tablet, players get character sheets on their
smart phones, and the big screen gets the map showing what's what. DO
THIS.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6m9MSxx4BKUbe2bvKRLOwrFAppGXjlx0q4rw5ZrEvGJ44SPiBSBXe5DywJAPhkl9roiEjBprVw7NVdxH4gnQnvm55AnJlXZeeddPa_RYgo86f-jNzLObcglshJiratvh4Q6ZhXCQjIg/s1600/glass.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6m9MSxx4BKUbe2bvKRLOwrFAppGXjlx0q4rw5ZrEvGJ44SPiBSBXe5DywJAPhkl9roiEjBprVw7NVdxH4gnQnvm55AnJlXZeeddPa_RYgo86f-jNzLObcglshJiratvh4Q6ZhXCQjIg/s400/glass.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, make it look a little better than this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Wii U supporting two pads.</b> Nope, you guys still don't get it. Locking down hardware by limiting controllers, for no good reason, is not cool. You have the capability to connect more than two. I know the specs you're running, and this is nothing but a mandated limitation imposed because you're goddamn Nintendo and you just have to continue your draconian control over every aspect of your siystem. <br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Earlier, when talking about
the new Xbox features, I mentioned a D&D game that could be played
on it using the multiple screens. The Wii U /would/ be capable of the
same thing, if they had five controllers connected. Which is entirely
possible, but they just don't want to do</span>. <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Other games that could use more than two controllers include digital version of Risk, Clue...<br /><br />There's not even a technical reason for this. </span><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Bluetooth supports up to 7
simultaneous connections, with 3-4 being the recommended number. Thus 6
controllers is understandable, except if they're planning to connect two
high-intensity devices they should have two bluetooth controllers,
supporting up to 14 connections. And they could cut down on the data being transmitted since each controller will probably have less information being transmitted. (Unlike full-screen games which probably would be using a lot more controller functions)</span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><br /></span>
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><b>Playstation All-Stars.</b> Uhm... look, I had hopes for this, cause I thought it'd be nice for someone to upset Nintendo from their position as high king of party brawl games, but... no, it just doesn't work, from what you're showing me. The characters all clash really weirdly and don't seem to make sense all sitting on the same screen. It just feels really weird, as they don't all come from series that have a sense of brand similarity. Sorry, but I'm out.</span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><br /></span>
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><b>Far Cry 3.</b> Your story is interesting me, but if it doesn't involve split personalities like you imply, then I will be very dissapoint. Also, you better be more open then some of the previous trailers I saw. None of this hallway shooting. If you're between Far Cry and Far Cry 2, I will be a happy bunny.</span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><br /></span>
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><b>Beyond: Two Souls.</b> Oh hey, Quantic Dream is putting gameplay in their titles?</span><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Seriously, I loved Indigo
Prophecy despite its flaws and how it goes really loopy in the second
half, but they honestly spend far too much time on cinematography for
games. They're somewhere between a choose-your-own-path DVD and an
adventure game, and I always enjoy when they approach more of the
latter. More solid gameplay this time around would be very appreciated.</span><br />
<br />
<b>The Last of Us.</b> Yikes that's brutal. Looks like it could be challenging, and very tense. I just hope that there's a higher difficulty level than we were shown in the video. Also I love how Protag gives me flashbacks to the dad from Supernatural.<br />
<br />
<b>Watch Dogs.</b> God damn it, you should've just stuck to espionage. Looked absolutely fantastic till people started getting killed, then it just showed to be another game where you're a Gary Stu nigh-unkillable badass with skills at doing everything. Probably going to check it out, but I doubt I'll ever finish it as it looks like it will just get boring very quickly.<br />
<br />
See, <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"> I have problems with
the way Ubisoft is treating the protagonist. It's the same issue I had
with Assassin's Creed. When you are more skilled than literally
everyone, what's even the point? There's little to no challenge. They
should've made Protag just completely suck at combat, thus forcing the
player to completely use systems to manipulate their way through
scenarios.<br /> <br /> I just think it would be a thousand times more
interesting to try and kill someone without the use of any conventional
weaponry than it is to engage in shooty shooty bang bang slomo fights. </span><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"> The addition of a combat
system that makes you able to fight effectively overrules the rest of
the gameplay. The old axiom "less is more" is often true in game design. </span><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">If I am given the choice of
using complex systems to solve a problem, or to just shoot my problem to
death, I'll choose the latter. Not because of who I am, but because I'm
a human. The easiest choice, provided there is no massive penalty to
selection, is the preferred ch-~!13`<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">924912j4lih1i41hp1020he2il`1____!!!CONTINUITY INTERRUPTIONakdhk2le312531l5</span></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">xx2891sk3: </span></span><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Well anyone good at a game
and able to abuse the mechanics is going to make something look
overpowered. The same thing happened in the Resident Evil 6 demo when
the player came to a stairwell full of zombies, he shot the first 2 in
the legs forcing the zombies behind to slowdown to get over the bodies
and then he threw a grenade with the extra time to clear the stair well.
First Play through I wouldn't be thinking that but over time maybe. In
the Watch Dogs play through, they showed it was possible to do the slow
mo thing well, but is every player able to do that? Maybe with the right
skill sure but he had to know how many targets were there. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">shade: </span><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Hm, actually yeah, explaining
it like that, I see what you're saying. It could very much depend on
how they end up actually working the shooting system.<br /> <br /> I think
the sliding kick and the beatdown with the stick in the trailer also
worried me, but hell, if they require precision aim with the guns (No
aim assist) that will definitely put you at a major disadvantage in
armed combat. I guess, knowing how Assassin's Creed turned out, I'm
rather suspicious of Ubisoft making another catchall badass. I'll see
how it actually plays.<br /> <br /> Hell, if BioShock Infinite's hardcore mode plays out, they may even be nice enough to include a higher difficulty setting.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">That's pretty much the extent of my thoughts. I didn't mention something? My thoughts on it are probably a solid <b>meh.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><b>EDIT: </b>Right. Crysis 3. Looks pretty slick. Looks like it could be damn fun too. Not much else to add, but eh, their trailer has me.<b> </b></span>Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3474922343320633684.post-33158461120474449552012-06-06T16:57:00.001-04:002013-03-10T04:32:13.300-04:00Wiil U stop with the bad controller ideas?This year's E3 had a lot of stuff that didn't really interest me, but one thing really stood out: The Wii U is not a good idea.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I hate to sound apocalyptic (wait, no, I love it) but the honest truth
here is that the Wii U just doesn't look very good. It's gimmicky as
hell, and not in what I would call a good way. The Wii was often
criticized for being gimmicky, but at least the idea of motion control
was itself very interesting, and could be used in cool ways. Melee
combat like in <i>No More Heroes</i> and <i>Skyward Sword</i>, ranged combat like in <i>
Red Steel 2</i> or <i>Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles</i>. Even something like a flashlight in <i>Silent Hill: Shattered Memories</i>. But let's look at
what the Wii U brings to the table. In fact, I'm gonna show a nice
infographic showing everything that's wrong with this. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pgE3G0xbupwIzEbCrQ4gOTBfqpFAW2ru0a1zBFpUeZ9bAAOc__dI_qjRp6XqZLdxGFawrTqWKjBpda1sgXWZwy-GlvyRhLFD6SlT2KJiT2eL-Dl9xJ_aEGHTLIKFE3gfZuR9A_IHRQ4/s1600/controller.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pgE3G0xbupwIzEbCrQ4gOTBfqpFAW2ru0a1zBFpUeZ9bAAOc__dI_qjRp6XqZLdxGFawrTqWKjBpda1sgXWZwy-GlvyRhLFD6SlT2KJiT2eL-Dl9xJ_aEGHTLIKFE3gfZuR9A_IHRQ4/s640/controller.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Does that make it clear? Green features are things I like the sounds of, yellow are ones that I think are largely pointless, and red are ideas that I think are bad. I'll go through them.<br />
<br />
<b>What is with those analogue sticks.</b> For proper balance you're going to want to be holding your gamepad at a slightly upward tilted angle, not entirely vertical or entirely horizontal. This way you can look at the screen without your gamepad getting in the way. The Wii U, however, is gonna be awkward to do that with. If you want to use both sticks at once (say for looking about in an FPS) you're gonna have to shift both your hands up a bit, changing your weight distribution. This will make gravity pull the controller downward.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1168dU2HqysTXMQiIE-uWrW1q1JtcjsOtkrUf-EXffww0Vc4yztLoHMqFXl38uLl1Kg1ROl-8zgQqUL_oQdZupiW1a6T9x-Dy-zJqJPTiG62qQOV7LoBA2233gLrXngtL548wfVC0t4/s1600/holding.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1168dU2HqysTXMQiIE-uWrW1q1JtcjsOtkrUf-EXffww0Vc4yztLoHMqFXl38uLl1Kg1ROl-8zgQqUL_oQdZupiW1a6T9x-Dy-zJqJPTiG62qQOV7LoBA2233gLrXngtL548wfVC0t4/s320/holding.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Then you're gonna be applying all your forces to the top of the gamepad, meaning the bottom is gonna want to swing around. So unless they make the buttons really loose (which would make them more prone to breaking, and would not respond well to twitchiness) you're gonna have to grip it extra hard to press buttons properly. It's certainly a lot more awkward than a usual controller.<br />
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That pretty much murders any hardcore shooters in the foot. If it's generally harder to play the game on the Wii U, then nobody is gonna buy that version. But it's okay, Nintendo. It's not like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_3">any</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Black_Ops">of</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_%28series%29">those</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gears_of_War_%28series%29">are</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crysis_%28series%29">popular</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_Cry_%28series%29">right</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28series%29">now</a>.<br />
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<b>And it's not like any <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcast">failed console</a> put a screen in the middle of their controller.</b> Nintendo... I get what you're trying to do. Really, I do. There's some really neat stuff I'm seeing from some of the trailers that came out at this year's E3. That zombie game, with the inventory and cameras and stuff on the smaller screen? That's cool. It'd be neat to look at your inventory while the game keeps going, and then the player could be aware of zombie attacks and the like by watching with their peripheral vision. I dig it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6tNs4_gdzszD7s6d-PIU0ll6uUpk-Qbsx1adjEqFZdZNcn1SAk5YPybJogNIoWA76et9rFg5HDg-63DYh6ImoSWdjvxAYmN_UMqfGCqIChlO6zsEhNY08XIBoBPMTKpUbsxDB56-cqk/s1600/ZombiU-inventory-400x241.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6tNs4_gdzszD7s6d-PIU0ll6uUpk-Qbsx1adjEqFZdZNcn1SAk5YPybJogNIoWA76et9rFg5HDg-63DYh6ImoSWdjvxAYmN_UMqfGCqIChlO6zsEhNY08XIBoBPMTKpUbsxDB56-cqk/s320/ZombiU-inventory-400x241.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well, except I also don't dig it. I'm gonna have to swap between looking near and far a lot. That's fine for me, but what about anybody who is near or far sighted? This will make it very hard for them to play your games, because they may have to have their glasses on half the time, and have their glasses off the other half. So they'll call up inventory, put down their controller, put their glasses on, pick up the controller, choose their option, put down the controller, take off their glasses, pick up the controller, and play again. <i>That's a lot to ask someone to do</i>.<br />
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Also, this is a wireless controller. So let's talk about the big issue I'm seeing: Battery life. I know it doesn't bug some people. The iPad boasts ten hours, and you really shouldn't be playing video games for ten hours straight.<br />
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But let's not forget that battery life degrades. Even if this is boasting as many hours as the iPad, that life is going to go down if used every day. My iPod Touch currently only lasts maybe an hour or two of video, even though it's touted as lasting six hours. Yeah, it's three years old, but why should we settle for gradual obsolescence? And the fact is that a controller with a touch pad built into it, that's constantly communicating via bluetooth as well as doing a bunch of stuff, is going to eat battery life like a hog.<br />
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Meaning I'm gonna have to charge this thing every couple of nights and and just hope the battery is ready next time I come to play it. And if not, that's just gonna leave me pissed off.<br />
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<b>I know Skylanders sold well, but...</b> honestly I don't need this scanner thing. You're making me pay extra for a stupid extra feature I'm never going to want to use. No! Dont' say I will. I DON'T. I want to play games, not engage in augmented-reality action figure shenanigans. And yeah, I know it can also be used for some credit cards, but you know what Nintendo? I don't like you tempting people to waste tons of money on DLC or mediocre downloadable titles. There's a point where making a transaction becomes too easy, and I think that's crossing it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgs2drewOUCIELt9Ih2yJivg-kpJ9GIpxJYrlegy-01GVTDA_lynXzCSc8alQVmghWkutG1V-iHoaAbOyaUeFQAUwCu7elZlzn6X8cl5Rc4K4Wk_W1x_m-JonQg9_EBrg9w26Fqn4nxI/s1600/money+and+cards.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgs2drewOUCIELt9Ih2yJivg-kpJ9GIpxJYrlegy-01GVTDA_lynXzCSc8alQVmghWkutG1V-iHoaAbOyaUeFQAUwCu7elZlzn6X8cl5Rc4K4Wk_W1x_m-JonQg9_EBrg9w26Fqn4nxI/s320/money+and+cards.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It prints money <i>and</i> credit cards!</td></tr>
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<b>And going back to hand placement...</b> seriously I think this looks awkward as hell to hold. I get cramps from holding my iPod Touch in a game controller manner, and I can only see the same happening here. And this leads into my next point, which is...<br />
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<b>How am I supposed to effectively hold this thing while touching it?</b> Okay, so if I want to hold this thing to press a few buttons, it's kinda bulky and awkward. If I want to move the analogue sticks, it's bottom-heavy and misbalanced. If I want to touch the screen... I have to take one hand off it, either moving the other hand around to the back to hold it as I touch... or grip it for dear life with one hand while I carefully dab at the screen with the other. Either way, swapping between these control elements is awkward. Even more awkward than the DS's touch screen could be.<br />
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<b>Why does it still need to sense motion?</b> I can't say much about this, aside from: The Wii remote has a good shape and makes sense for a lot of hand-based controls, however the WiiPad doesn't seem like it will make much sense for motion controls unless you're specifically trying to beat people with books in your game.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87-hjD4Fag0v6hm4njp-QNTNxKnPvTL6XJ5hajaxvaXzQs9sHtHMlx70E_Do06gEXnqgTfwpDQyv0QfJLoHOG0hvOp7Rsr1ybWdOlvyJG9gDbSqQ9uorUKMILhXm7kSWYGKaX3B11VZs/s1600/zombie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87-hjD4Fag0v6hm4njp-QNTNxKnPvTL6XJ5hajaxvaXzQs9sHtHMlx70E_Do06gEXnqgTfwpDQyv0QfJLoHOG0hvOp7Rsr1ybWdOlvyJG9gDbSqQ9uorUKMILhXm7kSWYGKaX3B11VZs/s400/zombie.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>However, I do like to control my TV.</b> We currently have three TV remotes in our house, and it would be rather annoying to need to drop the WiiPad to go change the volume. Thus I think it would be a pretty cool idea to be able to press a button, turn down the TV volume (or turn it up) and then press that button again to return to play. A lot smoother transition.<br />
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<b>The social gaming features are a nice touch. </b>Since we already have a ton of features, adding a mic and camera may seem like feature bloat. However, there's an honest truth that in this day and age, people like playing games with eachother. Personally, I think that's great, and I love the idea that the controller has a camera and microphone so you could video chat while playing, it you want to.<br />
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The biggest concern in this regard is that the angle will be weird, and it will probably result in you staring up eachother's nostrils. But hell, if it means getting to be a little closer to my fiancee while playing co-op online, I'm all for it.<br />
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<b>Overall the controller is my main complaint about the WiiU</b>. When you're in a world where the consoles are all so similar in hardware, that you need to invent new hardware ideas to make them different, it's a shame that Nintendo decided to go in a weird direction with their next-gen system. It could work in interesting ways, but it also looks like it'll just be really awkward. But hey, at least they're not just ripping off the other consoles. They're admitting that aside from hardware uniqueness, and exclusive titles, their home console no longer has any reason for existing. So they're at least trying, I'll give them that. And it's a good thing too, that they didn't announce a product which would make the main selling point of their console completely pointless.<br />
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It's a good thing they didn't do that at all.Shade Jackrabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17181376706175099822noreply@blogger.com1